Power battles and desire to keep their £500m brand successful — inside David and Victoria’s complex marriage
BEHIND the plastered-on half-smile and carefully crafted public display of affection at the weekend, David and Victoria Beckham’s marriage remains a complicated beast.
There are power battles, jealousy, a genuine love for their children and, above all else, a desire to keep the £500million Brand Beckham going.
As their spokespeople — in full-on damage limitation mode — so keenly stressed while addressing the false Twitter rumours spreading like wildfire, there is no imminent divorce or any sort of split being considered.
But as I’ve reported in detail over the past two years, this is no straightforward relationship.
In fact, as they attempt to laugh off the latest social media controversy, there are continued ructions in the 19-year marriage on two fronts.
Firstly, Victoria’s difficulty in accepting David’s new life in Miami, where he has launched a new Major League Soccer team. She has visited the Florida city just once since the news was announced in January, sparking new tensions for the couple.
Noting how awkward her absence could look, Victoria has conceded she needs to spend more time with David in Miami, according to pals.
But she will do so through gritted teeth. Especially given her well-known spat with David’s best friend Dave Gardner — the fiance of Hollywood actress Liv Tyler — who helped him launch the project.
Secondly, David is tiring of Victoria’s constant social media and publicity use of their children Brooklyn, 19, Romeo, 15, Cruz, 13, and six-year-old Harper.
While David loves sharing natural moments with his children, sources close to the couple have told me he is increasingly clashing with Victoria over her desire to post a constant stream of family moments to her 20.8million Instagram followers.
Her strategy has led to criticisms from Piers Morgan, who believes the Beckham kids are being “pimped out” to boost their brand.
It comes as Victoria is preparing to parade the family in Vogue Magazine to mark the tenth anniversary of her clothing label.
The clan’s cover shoot and interview is expected to be one of the fashion bible’s best-selling issues.
Posh is hugely excited by the prospect. David not so much.
Victoria’s social media oversharing is seemingly all part of a plan by the Beckhams to protect their lucrative brand in the midst of ongoing rumoured tensions between them.
The couple believe their social following (a combined 77million on Instagram) is more influential than the mainstream media.
Victoria’s Instagram Story is a bizarre mix of mundane private pictures of her children next to ads selling designer clothes at her struggling fashion brand, Victoria Beckham.
A close source tells me: “David does get really p***ed off with how much she is putting the kids out there. It’s becoming a real problem between them.”
Deep down, David still has a desire for his family to live a “normal life”.
He finds the constant social media “shoots” tiresome, especially as image-conscious Victoria insists on full make-up and designer clothes before featuring in any herself.
The ex-England football captain, on the other hand, is genuinely down to earth and relaxed about his appearance and social events. He still likes to spend time at the local pub, which Victoria hates because she is concerned about being photographed.
David is thought to have been stung by criticism of his 43rd birthday coverage, where Victoria shared a snap showing Harper had bought her dad a £4,950 Louis Vuitton wine case.
In 2016 he bailed out her business with more than £5million, but losses doubled to £8.5million last year, causing her to slash prices.
Meanwhile, David’s company, DB Ventures, banked £18.75million. He also remains supportive of his wife’s business ambitions for his own, ever so slightly selfish reasons.
As one of my well-connected Beckham insiders puts it: “David loves Victoria having her own fashion business. He knows if Victoria is busy with her own work then she is out of his hair, which gives him more time to relax or focus on the football team in Miami or his own projects.”
Posh is used to spending chunks of the year away from her husband.
Over the past 100 days, Becks has been in China, Miami and Tokyo without Posh. He was also in China back in April after visiting the Indonesian capital of Jakarta in March.
And earlier that month, at a football match in Paris, he was snapped sitting close to model Bella Hadid in the stands.
The Beckhams’ public display of affection at the London fashion bash on Sunday was nothing new.
In 2004 when their marriage was rocked by allegations made by David’s former PA Rebecca Loos, the couple went off to an alpine retreat where the one-time Real Madrid star was snapped giving Posh a piggyback.
But never before had bookies suspended betting on a split, which is what happened last week.
The incorrect social media rumour that the Beckhams were heading for divorce grew so intense it was trending on Twitter at 8am.
There are other issues, too. Victoria’s anger at David’s Miami work was behind her sudden desire to re-form the Spice Girls, after years of refusal. She wanted to take back control with a sexy showbiz project.
Then there are the tattoos. David’s latest solar system tattoo on his skull comes at a time when Victoria is desperate to remove her own inkings.
She is also concerned about the number of tattoos Brooklyn now has, inspired by his dad.
Awkward with new people, Victoria is envious of David’s ability to be the most popular person in the room — whether partying with royalty or sportsmen. As I have documented over the past two years, she also feels uncomfortable with his female friendships.
Last July I told how Victoria did not like her husband partying with glamorous pals such as Alexa Chung and Poppy Delevingne.
She also did not approve of his friendship with wild socialite Lady Mary Charteris, who the couple were introduced to during David’s wild weekend at the Glastonbury Music Festival.
Victoria had words with David during his “lost weekend” at Worthy Farm after she arrived by helicopter to find him in a “complete state” after two days of boozing.
More recently, the night before the Royal Wedding, Becks was seen partying with female Kara Keble White at Soho Farmhouse. The pretty brunette, who was celebrating her 25th birthday, wrote on Instagram: “Thanks for the shots.”
In the past, Victoria has also had an issue with David’s friendships with Jason Statham and his partner Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, as well as Charlize Theron.
She is becoming increasingly uncomfortable with David’s party lifestyle — despite the fact that he is making more money through his various business interests than he did playing football, when he was earning £34,000 a day.
Victoria is known to make her feelings clear by what events she does not attend.
Her decision to skip Guy Ritchie’s wedding in July 2015 marked a new crisis for the Beckhams, who had started to live increasingly separate lives.
She was also absent from the premiere of Ritchie’s film King Arthur last May, even though it marked David’s acting debut.
Victoria was believed to have had her tattoo tributes to David removed, including a message in Hebrew on her neck which read: “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.”
However, when these reports emerged, Victoria claimed that the tattoo was fading naturally.
Even now, the pair are determined to keep their marriage together — despite some very major compromises.
- ADDITIONAL REPORTING: Stuart Pink.