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Victoria Beckham has finally addressed a viral clip in which she refers to herself as “very working-class” despite being driven to school in a Rolls-Royce.
In the moment from the four-part Netflix series Beckham, former England footballer David implores Victoria to “be honest” as she explains “it’s not a simple answer”.
In a new interview with Vogue Australia, the former Spice Girl and fashion designer has now clarified the comments.
“You know, my dad had a Rolls-Royce and he also had a white van,” she explained. “I came from a working-class background and so my dad in the 80s, he was an entrepreneur, he started his business with my mum at the kitchen table and he did very well, so he bought himself a Rolls-Royce.”
Viewers at the time were quick to remark that the business mogul has long been known as “Posh Spice”. However, she shed more light on her upbringing and the conditions she grew up in, as she explained why it wasn’t simple.
“We went to a regular school and we didn’t live in a big house and the minute he made money he went and bought himself a Rolls-Royce.
“One day we’d go to school in the Rolls-Royce and one day we’d go in the van because he’d still work, he was an electrical wholesaler and he was very much a worker.”
However, Victoria admitted that she was mortified at the prospect of being driven to school in the fancy car, as she had been desperate to fit in at the time.
“Me and my siblings used to beg him, can we please go to school in the white van? Like, we were mortified at the idea of going in the Rolls-Royce.
“How things have changed! Nowadays, I’d be like, don’t worry about the van, let’s go in the Roller! But in those days, we just wanted to fit in.”
Following the viral moment, Victoria promptly released merchandise poking fun at herself: a white t-shirt with the words “My dad drove a Rolls-Royce” in black capital letters was being sold at a retail price of £110 shortly after the video spread.
Although a Rolls-Royce may be a sign of wealth in some cultures,The Independent’s Deborah Robertson explained why class and social codes can be more complex in the UK.
“But class, at least in this country, is a slippery eel,” she wrote. “While in some cultures, doing the school run in a Roller might be seen as smart, in the UK it’s not that straightforward. The old cliché of the smartest person in the room – or field – being the one in grandpa’s holey cashmere and a 39-year-old Barbour persists, as does the horror of appearing to try too hard.”
