King Charles is said to have been “seismic with rage” after David and Victoria Beckham attended a private celebration for their daughter Harper’s sixth birthday at Buckingham Palace. The party, reportedly hosted by Prince Andrew in his private apartment, was intended to be a memorable occasion but quickly became the centre of controversy.
The celebration took place in July 2017, with David Beckham sharing images from the event on Instagram that showed Harper and her friends enjoying the palace quadrangle, some dressed as princesses with cardboard crowns. Inside the palace, Princess Eugenie was photographed kneeling beside the children. Victoria Beckham, unable to attend in person due to fashion commitments, posted a picture of Harper in a Princess Elsa costume from Disney’s Frozen, captioned “Our little birthday princess x Kisses.”
According to Alison Boshoff’s book, Brand Beckham, these social media posts triggered a backlash. Former Queen’s press secretary Dickie Arbiter criticised the presence of the Beckhams, questioning the propriety of the event within the palace and asking why the couple received such special treatment. This reaction was intensified by the timing, coming shortly after the Grenfell Tower disaster, which made the use of Buckingham Palace for a private party appear inappropriate to some observers.
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It was clarified that the Beckhams had not independently arranged access to the palace; the invitation came through Prince Andrew, reportedly extended by his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. Ferguson and Victoria Beckham shared a longstanding friendship dating back to 1999, with mutual acquaintances including Sir Elton John.
Despite this, the decision to post photos from the event on social media was said to have caused significant upset within palace circles. A source described the posts as a “serious breach of protocol,” noting that photography is not permitted in the Buckingham Palace quadrangle. The source claimed King Charles was “seismic with rage,” and suggested the incident would further strain his relationship with Prince Andrew. It was also reported that Prince William was displeased.
There was speculation that Ferguson’s invitation was permitted due to the Queen being away in Scotland for the summer. In response to the controversy, David Beckham later clarified on social media that the event was a tea party with invited guests and was “not the palace opening the gates” for the birthday party.
In a notable turn of events, David Beckham was knighted by King Charles at Windsor Castle in November 2025 for his contributions to sport and charity. The ceremony was attended by Victoria and David’s parents, with the couple pictured smiling in the castle courtyard. Beckham expressed pride in the honour, while Victoria affectionately referred to him as her “knight in shining armour,” expressing her pride in him.