King Charles was reportedly left “seismic with rage” when David and Victoria Beckham accepted an invitation from Prince Andrew to celebrate their daughter Harper’s sixth birthday at Buckingham Palace.
The former footballer aimed to make the occasion memorable, but the event quickly attracted severe criticism. As detailed in Alison Boshoff’s book Brand Beckham, on 3 July 2017, David Beckham shared a series of photographs from the day on Instagram.
In one post, he wrote: “Happy Birthday to our special little young lady. Such a special girl who brings so much joy and happiness into our lives. Happy 6th birthday (I can’t believe you’re 6 already) have the most amazing day we love you pretty lady x.”
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The photos showed Harper playing in the palace’s front quadrangle with her friends. Inside Buckingham Palace, Princess Eugenie was seen kneeling beside the children, many of whom were dressed as princesses with cardboard crowns, as reported by the Express. Victoria Beckham was not present due to fashion commitments but later shared an image of Harper in a Princess Elsa costume from Disney’s Frozen, captioned, “Our little birthday princess x Kisses.”
The social media posts sparked swift backlash. Former Queen’s press secretary Dickie Arbiter criticised the Beckhams' presence at the palace, questioning their entitlement to be there and asking, “Is it [Buckingham Palace] being opened up as a theme park?” He added: “It devalues what the place is all about. Why do the Beckhams get special treatment?”
Criticism was amplified given the timing of the party, with observers questioning the appropriateness of using Buckingham Palace for a private celebration shortly after the Grenfell Tower disaster.
However, as reported in Brand Beckham, the Beckhams had not arranged access to the palace independently. Harper’s party was held in Prince Andrew’s private apartment following an invitation apparently extended by his former wife, Sarah Ferguson.
Ferguson and Victoria Beckham share a longstanding friendship that began in 1999 when Victoria was a Spice Girl. Their social circles overlap, including acquaintances such as Sir Elton John, with both having attended his White Tie and Tiara events.
The decision to post images of the celebration on social media reportedly provoked considerable concern. A Palace insider described the posts as a “serious breach of protocol” and claimed: “Prince Charles is apparently seismic with rage and this will only deepen his feud with Prince Andrew.”
The source added, “Photos are absolutely not allowed in the Buckingham Palace quadrangle,” and remarked that “Prince William will not be amused.”
There was a perception that Ferguson’s invitation was tolerated only because the late Queen was spending the summer in Scotland. The day following the online backlash, David Beckham sought to clarify the situation, asserting that the palace had not been officially opened for the birthday party. He posted: “Just to be clear this wasn’t the palace opening the gates for Harper’s birthday party, this was a tea party where us and other guests were invited so it was a beautiful thing to do with my mum, Harper plus a few school friends.”
He added, “We were honoured to be able to be there … Beautiful tea party.”
In a remarkable development years later, David Beckham was knighted by King Charles at Windsor Castle in November 2025, recognising his contributions to sport and charity. The former England captain, aged 50, attended the ceremony with Victoria and his parents, Ted and Sandra Beckham. The couple were pictured smiling together in the castle courtyard.
David expressed being “immensely proud” of the honour, while Victoria described him as her “knight in shining armour” and stated she “couldn’t be prouder” of him.