While they were once close, the relationship between the Beckhams and the Sussexes is now rumoured to have soured – reportedly because Meghan believed Victoria to be behind salacious stories leaked to the press. Unnamed insiders previously claimed there had been a conversation about it between David and Harry. ‘Harry was very polite, but obviously it was a pretty awkward exchange and David was mortified,’ a source explained to The Sun in 2021. ‘Inexplicably, [Meghan] feared Victoria was behind it – I mean, the idea that Victoria Beckham would be personally ringing journalists to give them a scoop is ridiculous – and spoke to Harry about it.
‘Harry is very protective of Meghan, and decided to deal with the matter head-on, by directly contacting his good pal, David. He quickly put Harry right, and the two men agreed to move on – but it certainly made things awkward for a while.’
While the rift with Harry is said to have left David ‘furious’, the Beckhams remain on very good terms with the Wales family. In 2020, David took part in a group video call with Prince William and other sports stars for the royal’s mental health ‘Heads Up’ campaign and, that summer, he and his son Romeo joined William in the royal box to watch England vs Germany. David joined William and Kate at the Earthshot Awards in Boston last year, at which the trio were spotted chatting merrily, and the couple (although they did not attend) were even invited to Brooklyn’s wedding – an event from which Harry and Meghan were conspicuously absent.
Prince William, the Princess of Wales and David Beckham speak backstage after The Earthshot Prize 2022 at MGM Music Hall in Boston
Samir Hussein