Inside David Beckham and Victoria’s 26-year marriage – from family feud to aff@ir rumours

David and Victoria Beckham are celebrating 26 years of marriage today, but it has been a turbulent ride for the national treasures, who first met in 1997.

David and Victoria have been through many highs and lows (Image: Getty)

The couple, forever known to many as Posh and Becks, have continued to defy their critics and build one of the strongest marriages in showbusiness. However, it has not always been smooth sailing for Victoria and David Beckham, who are parents to Brooklyn, 26, Romeo, 22, Cruz, 20, and Harper, 13.

Victoria told her social media followers in recent years: “They say he isn’t funny, they say I never smile, they said it wouldn’t last… Today we celebrate 23 years of being married. David, you are my everything, I love you so much!” With the couple marking their 26th wedding anniversary today, Express.co.uk has examined their relationship, their alleged ‘feud’ with Brooklyn, and affir rumours.

David and Victoria met in the late 1990s (Image: Getty)

In 1996, Victoria, better known as Posh Spice, was the more famous of the two following the success of the Spice Girls. That year, David was a Manchester United player and the pair were introduced – at his request – after his team’s charity football match. “That’s the girl for me and I’m going to get her,” David told a friend when seeing Victoria perform on stage, reports The Sun. He told the publication: “She’s my idea of perfection. I knew that if she wanted me, we would be together forever.”

Victoria told Vogue in 2016: “Love at first sight does exist. It will happen to you in the Manchester United players’ lounge — although you will get a little drunk, so exact details are hazy.”

Just over a year after meeting, in January 1998, the couple announced their engagement. Victoria said at the time: “We’d already looked at a few rings, but I didn’t know which one he had chosen. I’d told him what my dream ring would be. He remembered and had it specially made for me.”

For the proposal, Victoria was given 30 roses before being escorted to their hotel room, which was flooded with £200 worth of red and yellow lilies. They slipped into dressing gowns, ordered champagne, and David popped the question.

It wasn’t long before they had their first child, Brooklyn, who was born in March 1999 at London’s Portland Hospital. By that July, the lovers famously tied the knot in an extravagant ceremony which reportedly cost £800,000.

The couple have been married for 26 years today (Image: Getty)

The power couple hired Bentley’s Entertainments, organisers of Elton John’s birthday and Princess Anne’s 40th, to plan the highly publicised event.

David wore a £230,000 Bentley Azure wearing a cream suit designed by Timothy Everett, while Victoria donned a Vera Wang dress as she rode in style in a Bentley Arnage. In October, they purchased Beckingham Palace – a 12-acre estate in Hertfordshire worth £7.5 million.

Moving forward to 2002, Victoria gave birth to their second son, Romeo, via c-section. However, just a couple of years later, an affir scandal made national headlines.

David and his family moved to Spain in 2003 when he transferred from Manchester United to Real Madrid, leading to a shock revelation for the duo the following year when Rebecca Loos alleged to have had an affir with David while she was his personal assistant.

She claimed she had a four-month romance with the star, but he has always vehemently denied the allegations. Victoria and David defiantly stuck together, while Rebecca lost her job and sold her story to the News Of The World.

Moving forward with their relationship in the wake of the scandal, Victoria gave birth to Cruz in 2005. David told reporters at the time: “We’ve got a baby boy. His name is Cruz. He is beautiful. He is in there with his brothers now, and he is very happy.”

And then in 2011, the couple finally had a daughter, named Harper. David shared on social media: “I am so proud and excited to announce the birth of our daughter Harper Seven Beckham. She weighed a healthy 7lbs 10oz and arrived at 7.55 this morning, here in LA.”

In 2018, the Beckhams had to deny speculation they were heading for a divorce, telling Vogue that split rumours that year had plagued them. Victoria told the magazine: “People have been making things up about our relationship for 20 years, so David and I are pretty used to ignoring the nonsense and just carrying on as normal.”

By 2023, the pair dropped their Netflix documentary, Beckham, in which they addressed the Loos allegations. David told the cameras he “felt physically sick every day” as he and Victoria faced a battle to save their marriage.

They have daughter Harper and three sons, Brooklyn, Cruz and Romeo (Image: Getty)

Most recently, the Beckhams have been hitting the headlines due to their reported fallout with eldest son Brooklyn, who is married to Nicola Peltz, 30.

Since their £3million Florida wedding, Brooklyn has snubbed all four parties thrown for David to celebrate his 50th birthday. Two weeks after the celebrations, Brooklyn and Nicola jetted to London for the Moncler shoot but failed to meet up with his family.

However, it appears David offered an olive branch this morning as he paid tribute to Victoria and his children in a touching Instagram post. He wrote: “26 years today, you said YES to me. Happy Anniversary, and thank you for giving me our beautiful children and building the life that we have together. I love you, Lady Beckham. @victoriabeckham @brooklynpeltzbeckham @romeobeckham @cruzbeckham #HarperSeven.”