The Beckhams pride themselves on being a tight-knit bunch, with their decades-strong bond as the beating heart of the family’s brand. But as social butterflies David and Victoria Beckham approach their 25th wedding anniversary, heat has learned that the mum of four is longing to mark the milestone alone as a couple – and worries that they’ve lost the romance in their marriage over the years.
“Twenty-five years of marriage is a big deal. David and Victoria have been through so many ups and downs, and she really feels that it's time to mark all of that privately together - to take time and connect,” we’re told.
“As much as Vic loves the sense of family being at the centre of everything, she thinks when it comes to their 25th anniversary, it's time to put her foot down. For once, she wants it to be about her and David – a celebration of their relationship, just the two of them.”
And while it seems like David might be trying to mark the occasion in his own way, it’s not what Victoria has in mind.
“She’s worried David is thinking about trying to spring a surprise with a big vow renewal ceremony with family and friends,” our source adds.
“And while it’s not like she wouldn’t enjoy that, what she really wants is the proper honeymoon she still feels she missed out on. Theirs was interrupted due to football 25 years ago and David promised her he would make it up to her.”
Exactly four months after welcoming their eldest son Brooklyn into the world, former Spice Girl Vic, 50, and England footballing hero David, 49 – who went on to have two more sons, Romeo, 21, and Cruz, 19, as well as daughter Harper, 12 – tied the knot on 4 July 1999 at Luttrellstown Castle in Dublin. While the natural assumption was that the A-list newlyweds would’ve basked in marital bliss on a no-expense-spared honeymoon, David revealed in his acclaimed docuseries Beckham that his footballing career at Manchester United threw a spanner in the works.
The retired sportsman recalled, “We had a short honeymoon. We ended up at Andrew Lloyd Webber's house in the South of France – I have no idea how we ended up there.” Going on to explain how Sir Alex Ferguson’s orders cut their holiday short, David said, “We were meant to be there for ten days, but the manager called me after about five days and said, ‘I need you back in training’.”
After David and Victoria went public with their relationship in 1997, it garnered unprecedented media attention, something Sir Alex was reportedly unhappy about. David’s former teammate Paul Scholes said in Beckham, “[David’s] relationship with Victoria was pissing the manager off. He thought it was affecting his football.”
When asked directly about the relationship himself, Sir Alex answered to the cameras, “[David] changed, there's no doubt about that, and all the media and celebrity attention was different from what I wanted.”
And as their first honeymoon was curtailed, we’re now told that Vic’s priority is jetting away for a second.
“She's got a list of places that she would love to go to – an out-of-this-world hotel in Mexico being top of the list – but she's also saying that she is happy to go anywhere, just as long as it's private and a chance for them to close off the world,” our insider says.
“She’s thrown the suggestion of a week away out there a few times, and put dates in their diary, so they don’t book in anything else. But the issue now is that she knows David is planning his version of surprising her, which she knows will involve all the family, despite her saying over and over how she wants a second honeymoon with him. She fears he's not hearing a word she says.”
It has been a family gathering-heavy few months for the Beckhams. Last month, their nearest and dearest – including the Spice Girls – gathered to celebrate Vic’s 50th, with the birthday girl writing, “I don’t think I’ve ever felt as loved as I did last night.”
The glamorous photos of the family of six amassed thousands of comments, as did David’s tribute to his wife on her big birthday. “Happy birthday to my beautiful wife… As you head into this birthday you should look back and be proud of what you have accomplished, achieved and what you have built - Posh Spice, businesswoman and of course marrying an England captain. But your biggest successes are your children, you guide them, love them and teach them… They love you beyond words, we all love you so much x Have a special day you deserve it all, 50 and fit,” he wrote.
Then came David’s 49th birthday at the beginning of May, which they celebrated by jetting off to a winery in Spain. Romantic minibreak? Not exactly, as they made it a group trip with close friends Gordon and Tana Ramsay. And among the back-to-back celebration of the past few months – which have also included get-togethers with both Posh and David’s parents – the Inter Miami CF president has been here there and everywhere, travelling to New York, California and Manchester for his many work commitments.
And all the time apart has left Victoria craving some well-earned romance with her husband. “Vic wants this anniversary to be really meaningful,” we’re told.
“David is great at the gushing public tributes, and she was really emotional that he talked so highly of her in the documentary. While they seem to give the impression that they are joined at the hip on Instagram, the reality is that they are both so busy and travelling everywhere. Making the documentary last year really hit home with her what it was like back in those early days, and how they never even wanted to spend a night apart and could barely keep their hands off each other. She wants to feel like they’re still the only ones for each other.”
Added into the emotional mix is the fact that the couple’s three eldest have flown the nest. Brooklyn is based Stateside with Nicola, Romeo relocated from to his own flat in south London last year, and Cruz followed Brooklyn to Los Angeles to pursue a music career. Now, our insiders say that the change has led Victoria to brood about the amount of time she gets to spend with David one-on-one, especially as he’s likely to be out in Germany for the Euros, which crosses over with their anniversary.
“Victoria is very good at keeping her ‘show face' on, but since turning 50, she is really starting to take stock of her life and looking at the next phase - especially now as three of the four kids have gone,” we’re told.
“It’s going to be a big change for her, as it will be her and David alone together for the first time once Harper does the same. She always tries to prioritise the kids, but there's a sense that there's never enough time to go deeper with David – to just be with each other and be who they want to be – and for her to be his priority.”