David Beckham’s relationships with royal brothers Prince William and Prince Harry is explored in a juicy new book about the retired footballer.

The House of Beckham by Tom Bower, serialised by the Mirror over the weekend, David’s romance with wife Victoria Beckham is put under the spotlight, with new details of the ups and downs of their decades-long marriage revealed.

But the new book makes claims about Posh and Becks’ relationship with the royal family, in particular their crumbling union with Harry and his wife Meghan Markle.

The former England captain, 49, and Posh Spice, 50, attended both William’s 2011 wedding to Kate Middleton and Harry and Meghan’s nuptials in 2018. However, according to The House of Beckham, David’s friendship with both brothers rubbed Meghan up the wrong way.

Prince William and Prince Harry with David Beckham in happier times back in 2010 ( 
Image:
PA)

In his book, Bower writes how ahead of their wedding, Meghan and Harry were miffed by David’s chummy relationship with William, which had been going strong since the UK’s World Cup bid in 2010. The Duke of Duchess of Sussex, already grumbling about their perceived lesser status and wealth compared to the Cambridges, found the sight of Becks hobnobbing with William irksome.

“Meghan appeared to want to punish the Beckhams,” Bower writes. “Television pictures of the couple arriving at St George’s Chapel for the wedding showed Victoria stony-faced and David chewing gum. Meghan had not invited them to the wedding dinner. Her veto was an insult.”

He continues: “After all, many guests such as George Clooney and other Hollywood stars invited that evening did not even know Meghan. Victoria’s sour expression also reflected her anger about David’s behaviour at a Soho House party the previous night. He had been buying drinks for a brunette while Victoria sat silently thunderous nearby. Worse still, that very morning the woman had posted photos of herself and Beckham on the web.”

Post-wedding ceremony, the Beckhams bumped into King Charles at the sun-drenched reception in the garden. Charles and David first met two decades ago at the Old Trafford football stadium. As he was leaving, Charles had quipped to his aide, ‘Why do these people never wear socks?’

That afternoon, Charles ran into a member of the People’s Royalty who was, indeed, wearing socks. Moving on, Beckham extended his congratulations to Harry. During their chat, the Prince invited Beckham to join him in Sydney come October. For the Invictus Games, a competition for injured servicemen, he was quick to say yes. His team were given the job of finding a sponsor to cover his travel costs. He intended to bring along Victoria and their four children, according to The House of Beckham.

Later in the book, Bower writes how David did attend the games but “found himself alone at the Invictus Games stadium” and kept away from the Duke of Sussex, unaware that Harry “had ordered that under no circumstances was the footballer to be allowed near him.”

The Mirror has approached representatives for both the Beckhams and the Sussexes for comment on this story.