Did Meghan Markle break up Prince Harry and David Beckham’s bromance? How the pair went from clubbing together in London to an explosive phone call which ended it all

Born to a working class family in east London, David Beckham did not expect to one day be rubbing shoulders with royalty.

But the former football star has become somewhat of a regular fixture at royal events – although he has not yet received the knighthood he so craves.

Last year, Beckham (notably OBE) was made ambassador for the King’s Foundation after a meeting with Charles at his beloved Highgrove Estate. During a tour of the luxuriant gardens which span 15 acres, the unlikely pair exchanged tips on beekeeping.

Then, Beckham attended his first-ever state banquet surrounded by royals and Qatari dignitaries at Buckingham Palace in December 2024.

But the royal connections do not stop there. Beckham and his wife Victoria have attended not one but two royal weddings.

Looking rather suave in a Ralph Lauren morning suit to complement Posh Spice’s navy draped dress from her own collection, the ex-England captain stole the show at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding in April 2011.

Seven years later, Victoria rocked her own fashion line once again while Beckham opted for a sleek grey suit from Dior as they filed into St George’s Chapel to see Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tie the knot in May 2018.

Receiving a gold embossed invitation to Harry and Meghan’s wedding was a sign of the long friendship between the Beckhams and the Sussexes – but The Mail on Sunday revealed it soon became much less amicable behind the scenes.

Beckham was first introduced to Prince William in his capacity as the President of the Football Association (FA).

United in their love of sport, William and Beckham later attended the London 2012 Olympics together.

The pair were thrown together to support England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup. 

When asked whether he would call the future king his friend, Beckham told Esquire: ‘Yeah, I think I would. It’s a very normal relationship. With Harry as well. They’re very easy to get along with. They love their sport.’

Harry, on the other hand, met Posh Spice before he met Becks. The 13-year-old prince was taken backstage at a Spice Girls performance in South Africa to meet the group. It was his first public appearance after Princess Diana’s funeral.

Years later, he would strike up his own friendship with the other half of the Beckham pair via his older brother William.

Harry and the Manchester United legend were pictured dining and partying in a range of venues – from the fluorescent nightclubs of Las Vegas to the hallowed halls of The Arts Club in London’s Chelsea.

After one of their nights out in 2012, a source told the Daily Mail: ‘Harry and Tom [van Straubenzee] had so much fun with Beckham that they agreed to meet up later that night.

‘They were getting along like really old friends. Harry had made plans to see Cirque du Soleil but he and David agreed to hook up later that night at the Arts Club.’

It was at the Arts Club that there was an alleged bust-up between Harry and James Corden that Beckham broke up, according to the Daily Mail’s Showbusiness Editor Katie Hind.

‘The group was pretty large,’ a source told the Daily Mail. ‘There were some of Harry’s friends, some of James’ friends and some of David’s gang and they all intertwined.

‘Then it all kicked off, James was furious. It quickly emerged that Harry had told a joke and James definitely did not find it funny.’

Ever the peacemaker, Beckham talked to both sides and reassured Corden that no harm was meant by the cruel comment.

And then in 2016, Meghan Markle started dating Prince Harry.

The couples initially bonded because Izzy May, Beckham’s communications director, was friends with Markus Anderson, chief membership officer for private social club Soho House, who helped arrange Meghan’s secret dates with Harry.

By all reports, the Beckhams went out of their way to welcome Meghan to the United Kingdom ahead of her very public marriage to the prince. 

It is believed Victoria even gave the American actress access to her little black book of hairdressers and stylists in London.

After attending their fairytale wedding in May 2018, Beckham joined the love birds on their tour of Australia.

There, they attended the Invictus Games which Harry founded in 2014 and Beckham had become an ambassador of.

But the footballer was reportedly ignored by his royal pal at the request of Meghan who ‘did not want any competition in the media’, according to Tom Bower’s biography House of Beckham.

In 2023, The Mail on Sunday would report that the Beckhams had been ‘Markled’ – a word used by critics of the Suits alum to describe how she is seemingly able to swiftly move on from some of those once closest to her.

In the Beckhams’ case, there was suspicion the couple may have leaked stories about the Sussexes, an accusation The MoS were told left David ‘absolutely bloody furious’.

A source close to the Beckhams said: ‘David and Victoria went to Meghan and Harry’s wedding and were very supportive when Meghan arrived in the UK.’

But the accusations, which came in a tense phone call, fractured the Beckham-Sussex friendship. The source added: ‘Any making up now is so unlikely.’ 

The claims reported by the Mail on Sunday story are backed up by Bower’s account of the explosive falling out in his book Revenge.

‘Harry’s instability fed Meghan’s fears that friends were leaking stories to the media,’ he wrote. ‘In particular, she suspected Victoria Beckham of indiscretion.

‘Harry called David Beckham to repeat the accusation. Outraged, Beckham’s truthful denials damaged their relationship.’

But just because the Beckhams are no longer friends with the Sussexes does not mean they aren’t spotted with other members of the Royal Family.

In February, the pair attended a dinner in celebration of Slow Food at Highgrove where they spoke extensively with King Charles and Camilla.

Perhaps a knighthood is on the horizon after all.