Prince William and Princess Kate aren’t the only British couple reported to be on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s bad side, according to a new book.
Per The House of Beckham by Tom Bower (who also penned Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors), Harry and Meghan have been engaged in ongoing tension with David and Victoria Beckham for several years.
The two couples were previously thought to be friendly, with Meghan reportedly having stayed in the Beckhams’ Los Angeles home, and the soccer star and fashion designer attending the royal wedding in 2018. However, Bower claims that things have since soured following a seemingly innocuous alleged incident six years ago.
Bower claims that the relationship turned frosty in 2018, when The Sun ran a report that Victoria had given Meghan makeup advice.
Bower told news.com.au that after the tabloid report surfaced, “David got a call from Harry accusing either he or Victoria of leaking the story to promote Victoria, but then they discovered it was one of Victoria’s employees, and that undoubtedly caused anger.”
Per The Sun, the unauthorised biography also claims that the Beckham’s wealth was a sore spot for Meghan.
“In Meghan’s celebrity world, ranking depended on wealth and fame,” Bower writes. “As a seasoned operator, Meghan deluded herself that her status in the Royal family placed her above Victoria in the social pecking order.”
“[Meghan] was irritated to discover that the Beckhams had considerably more wealth than herself. They owned five homes, had constant access to private jets, invitations to sail on yachts and much more money. And she was soon to be a duchess.”
Following the alleged makeup saga, Bower says David was then “snubbed” by Harry. The footballer flew to Sydney for the 2018 Invictus Games at what was reportedly Harry’s request. The book claims that upon his arrival, officials seemingly attempted to keep him away from the prince.
“When [David] turns up at the stadium [in Sydney], Harry snubs him, won’t even meet him, let alone be photographed with him,” Bower claims.
The public was none the wiser to any of this, with the only hint anything was awry coming in 2022. David and Victoria reportedly extended an invite to Harry’s brother, Prince William and his wife, Princess Kate to attend their son Brooklyn’s wedding. While the future king and queen declined the offer, the fact that they were reportedly invited and not Meghan and Harry didn’t go unnoticed.
“The Beckhams were reported to have agonised over which royal couple to choose because of the alleged rift between William and Harry,” The Mirror reported at the time. “In the end, they plumped for William and Kate because of their long history of friendship.”
This article originally appeared on Marie Claire Australia and is republished here with permission.
