David Beckham Is Reportedly Using His Friendship With The Royals To Boost His Status

Soccer star David Beckham has been one of England's biggest celebrities for nearly three decades. And his marriage to Spice Girl Victoria Beckham in 1999 solidified his stardom. As an A-Lister, he has developed quite a friendship with members of the royal family including King Charles III and William, Prince of Wales. But new reports are hinting that David's loyalty to the royal family goes beyond his patriotism for the monarchy. According to The Daily Mail, David may be keeping close to the royals in hopes of being knighted. "The King and David have a very strong bond," a source told the outlet. The insider listed some of their similarities and added, "They come from very different backgrounds but they have a close relationship, and have a few different points of connection from sport to countryside and charities." It was even suggested to The Daily Mail that David could step into the "Harry-sized hole" in the royal family that has been present ever since Prince Harry left England.

In 2012, David commented on his friendship with both William and Harry, both of whom's weddings he attended. He said, "They're very easy to get along with. They love their sport," (via The Telegraph). David added that he especially enjoys teasing William when it comes to his choice in soccer teams. "William loves Aston Villa, unfortunately, which obviously I give him a bit of stick about," he joked. William and David had their friendship on display in October 2024 when they both attended an event for London's Air Ambulance charity. (The public even had a laugh comparing David's handsome head of hair and full beard with Willam's patching facial hair and receding hairline!)

Prince Harry was close to both David Beckham and Victoria Beckham and considered them bosom friends by the time he married Meghan Markle. But the couples have not been seen together since Harry left the royal family, and Markle may be the reason for the rift. Fashion mogul Victoria provided Markle with some beauty tips and even sent one of her employees to Markle for no-cost haircare and skincare. Markle accused the Beckhams of sharing this and other information about how they helped the Sussexes to the press. When asked about it, David was "absolutely bloody furious," a source told The Daily Mail. Biographer Tom Bower even said in his book "Revenge" that David attended an Invictus Games event in Australia but that Harry didn't want to meet with him. Bower claimed, "[Markle] wanted no competition in the media from David."

Since Harry has been vocal about the tumultuous relationship he has with his family, especially brother William, it surely hurts him to see his former friend David become so chummy with his estranged family. Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told The Sun, "There's no doubt that the Beckhams are very, very patriotic — they are great supporters of the Royal Family." Fitzwilliams believes that the Beckhams "didn't like the way the Sussexes monetized their Royal connections for gain." Another royal commentator named Ingrid Seward told The Sun that the couples are unlikely to patch things up. "I think the Beckhams have distanced themselves from Meghan and Harry, but for the obvious reasons that we all know, you know Meghan and Harry are in the descendant, not the ascendant," Seward said to The Sun (via GB News).