Is the House of Beckham a house of cards that nearly came crashing down?

To mark Father’s Day, Victoria took to Instagram to let the world know that husband David was “the best daddy” and her family’s “everything”. David also posted and thanked his wife for being mum to their four children Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper, who variously also made it known they were dad’s number one fans. There was no hint that there may have been storm clouds gathering over the Beckham clan. It was business as usual.

Elsewhere, it’s the business of their marriage that is being dissected. While Victoria and David Beckham have spent the last year telling us that their marriage is rock solid, an explosive new book is raising questions about the fairytale love story they’ve pushed.

In his book The House of Beckham, author and investigative journalist Tom Bower has knitted together an alternative narrative of their relationship. In stark contrast to Victoria and David’s carefully curated image, he claims that the couple were living separate lives, barely speaking and that their 27-year partnership had at one point crumbled into a “distant business relationship”.

The only thing that kept them together, according to Bower, was the brand they’ve meticulously built over nearly three decades. He says: “Although the Beckhams could not hide their separate lives, they stuck together to support the brand.”

In an extract published on Sunday, the author claims that the couple hit a devastating low in 2016 when David was spending time in Florida setting up the football club Inter Miami. Meanwhile, Victoria was based in London and was focused on her eponymous fashion label and partnership with Estee Lauder for her first foray into beauty. Their physical distance led to a deep divide and according to Bower, the pair became estranged.

Relations between them allegedly grew so toxic that by 2018 they were instructing their PR agents to plant competing stories about each other. According to Bower, who also wrote the bestselling book Revenge, about Prince Harry and Meghan, the couple, “both fed negative stories about the other side to their favourite tabloid journalists”. He adds: “Reflecting the acrimony between the Beckhams, the two publicists began to compete rather than collaborate to promote their own client.”

The tactics are strikingly similar to claims made against the royal family. Last year Harry said Queen Camilla leaked stories to the press about him. But unlike the monarchy, the book claims Victoria and David have been able to put on a united front for the sake of their children and because of the importance of Brand Beckham.

Given Bower’s claims, it makes the Beckhams’ legendary knack for PR seem even more impressive. Last year the four-part Netflix series Beckham portrayed their marriage as an enduring romance. Millions of viewers fawned over intimate scenes of their life at their idyllic Cotswolds home.

In one memorable scene, David and Victoria slow-danced to the Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers love song “Islands in the Stream”. Fans were so struck by their closeness that the moment sparked a TikTok trend and was copied by other couples. Now, some will be wondering whether they may have been seduced by a PR machine that, for once, was working in lockstep.

open image in gallery

The Beckham series – which was the most watched show on Netflix in the UK last year – not only revived their relevance, but it also gave the couple a chance to get out in front of Bower’s bombshell claims, according to PR, crisis and branding expert Mark Borkowski. He said: “The documentary is a great example of narrative control from two people who are masters at managing their public image.”

Given that it was made by David’s production company, Studio 99, and produced by one of their employees, the veteran publicist Nicola Howson, it was little surprise that David’s alleged indiscretions were barely covered and then brushed over in Beckham. It’s not yet known whether Bower makes any further claims about infidelity in his book, but the couple and their team will likely pore over every page when it comes out on 20 June.

Portraying Victoria and David’s marriage as blissful is a pivotal element of the Beckham brand, and it’s ruthlessly protected by the pair and their team because of its vast value. While the Beckhams would have always been financially comfortable as individuals, together they are a global phenomenon worth an estimated £455m.

open image in gallery

Their fortune makes them one of the wealthiest couples in Britain, according to The Sunday Times Rich List, which noted that they’ve transformed their wealth in the last two years. Their earnings were fuelled by David’s decision to sign Lionel Messi to Inter Miami, the football club that he part-owns, which led to a $1bn valuation. He also made a shrewd deal with Authentic Brands that gave him shares in the world’s largest sport and entertainment licensing company. And Becks continues to attract money-spinning sponsorships with Nespresso, Walkers crisps, Tudor watches, EA Sports and Adidas. As recently as this week he became the face of AliExpress with ads featuring him being broadcast during television coverage of Euro 2024.

Victoria’s business endeavours are also riding high. In 2022 her fashion brand – which Bower suggests was a vanity business being propped up by her husband – reversed years of losses by finally becoming profitable. The latest published figures from Victoria Beckham Holdings show that revenues are up 44 per cent with analysts attributing the label’s success to a surge in demand for her £650 chain pouch leather clutch bags.

The launch of her make-up offshoot Victoria Beckham Beauty has also helped to boost profits. Additionally, Victoria partnered with Mango to produce designs for high-street shoppers and achieved another major milestone when she created her first dress for the prestigious MET Gala.

If anything proves that the Beckhams are better off together, it’s their ability to ink high-value brand deals as a couple. Victoria and David had not worked together on an advert in years but when Uber Eats reportedly offered them millions to star in a Super Bowl commercial with Jennifer Aniston, they jumped at it.

The advert parodied a viral scene from Beckham where David calls out Victoria’s claims that she’s a working-class kid by making her admit that her Dad drove her to school in a Rolls-Royce. The exchange was one of many where the pair came across as a regular couple who poked fun at one another and Borkowski believes some moments were part of a calculated plan by the pair.

open image in gallery

“They chose to highlight resilience and unity rather than to delve into the personal crisis,” he said. “It’s selective storytelling and about countering any damaging aspects of their story.”

However, Borkowski warned that there’s a chance their strategy could backfire considering the book’s claims that the House of Beckham might be built on more shaky foundations. “Audiences value authenticity and honesty over polished narratives,” he said. “When an unauthorised biography fills a gap in a story the lack of prior transparency can undermine the brand as it shows people that everything is controlled.

“There’ll be a bit of noise,” he concluded, “but they’ll just carry on as normal.”

The Beckhams’ normal, though, is far removed from anyone else’s. Their recent business moves have suggested they want to grow their fortunes and have ambitions to get seats at the billionaire’s table. The Netflix show and their enthusiastic embrace of social media also seem to point to a plan to build a Kardashian-style empire for their family.

“They haven’t spent all this time just trying to create a brand, they’re trying to create a dynasty,” said Borkowski.

Their three adult boys already have big followings on social media and the family’s presence is only likely to grow as their sister joins them as she gets older. As they all develop their careers on TikTok and Instagram, brand Beckham is set to get bigger, not smaller, as it becomes more of a family affair. For Victoria and David, it will provide the best possible distraction from Bower’s book and certainly ensure there is a next chapter for both.

Rachel Richardson writes the trends newsletter highly flammable on Substack