David and Victoria Beckham [1] continue to remain as strong as ever 24 years after tying the knot. The longtime couple met in 1997, though David himself admitted he fancied the former Spice Girl during her days with the girl group long before they connected for the first time. In a 2008 interview on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show [2]," the former football star revealed that he was watching TV with teammate Gary Neville when he experienced love at first sight. "I was in a hotel room with my best friend, who was my best man at my wedding, I remember turning around — before I'd even met Victoria — and said, 'I want to marry that one,'" he said.
The Beckhams said "I do" in July 1999, and went on to have four children together [3]: Brooklyn (born March 1999), Romeo (born September 2002), Cruz (born February 2005), and Harper (born July 2011). Throughout their years-long relationship, the couple have withstood criticism, in addition to divorce and infidelity rumours, but have always maintained their strong bond during the toughest of times.
From sweet Instagram posts [4] to gushy interview moments, David and Victoria are what many consider couple goals, and the two aren't shy about sharing their love for one another. In an interview on "The View [5]" in October 2019, Victoria sang David's praises, gushing, "Obviously, he's incredibly good-looking, but David is the most wonderful husband and fantastic father and a real inspiration to all of us. He's hardworking . . . I'm lucky to have him as my soulmate."
Read on for the couple's complete relationship timeline, from when they first met to starring in David's Netflix docuseries, "Beckham" [6].
1997: David and Victoria Beckham Meet at a Football Match
The couple's love story traces back to 1997, when Victoria was known as "Posh Spice" and David was in the early years of his football career with Manchester United. David and Victoria met at a charity match at Manchester United players' lounge.
Victoria later revealed details of when they first crossed paths in a 2017 essay for Vogue [7], writing to her younger, 18-year-old self, "Love at first sight does exist. It will happen to you in the Manchester United players' lounge – although you will get a little drunk, so exact details are hazy."
She continued, "While the other football players stand at the bar drinking with their mates, you will see David standing aside with his family. (He's not even in the first team at this stage – you are the famous one.) And he has such a cute smile. You, too, are close to your family, and you will think how similar he feels to you."
January 1998: David and Victoria Beckham Get Engaged
After dating for nearly a year, David and Victoria announced their engagement in a press conference [8] in January 1998. The lovebirds stood shyly in front of the cameras as reporters asked questions about Victoria's engagement ring, among other questions. During the press conference, David and Victoria also told the press that they had plans on marrying in the summer of 1999.
March 1999: David and Victoria Beckham Welcome Their First Child
In late 1998, David and Victoria revealed that they were expecting their first child together and welcomed son Brooklyn Joseph Beckham on 4 March, 1999. In her 2001 autobiography "Learning to Fly" (via Yahoo! [9]), Victoria revealed the inspiration behind her son's name, writing, "I had always liked the name Brooke and then we suddenly thought about Brooklyn. I'd always liked it as a place — it's very multi-cultural, very grounded. And it was only afterwards that I realised how appropriate it was because it was in New York that I found out I was pregnant."
September 2002: David and Victoria Beckham Welcome Their Second Child
On 1 Sept., 2002, David and Victoria welcomed their second child, Romeo James Beckham, into the world. David announced the news outside of London's Portland Hospital, telling the press (via Us Weekly [10]), "He looks like Brooklyn. He's got Brooklyn's nose and Victoria's chin."
April 2004: David and Victoria Beckham Are Hit With Affair Rumours
In 2003, David signed a contract with Real Madrid, and the couple moved to Spain with their two children. Dutch model Rebecca Loos became David's personal assistant, but left her role months later. In April 2004, she sold her story to the now-defunct tabloid newspaper, the News of the World, alleging she had a four-month affair with the footballer. Her claims were never corroborated and David denied the allegations as "ludicrous". David released a statement, saying (via E News), "The simple truth is that I am very happily married. I have a wonderful wife and two very special kids. There is nothing any third party can do to change these facts." [11]
A decade later, married Loos told ITV's "Daybreak" that she regretted the way she went about telling her story, but maintained her version of events was correct.
Days after the Netflix "Beckham" documentary was released, in which David spoke of the "horrible stories that were difficult to deal with", Loos gave her review of the docuseries. Speaking to the Daily Mail [12], she said: "He can say whatever he likes of course, and I understand he has an image to preserve, but he is portraying himself as the victim and he's making me look like a liar, like I've made up these stories. He is indirectly suggesting that I'm the one who has made Victoria suffer."
She added: "So many people put all this behind them, this whole affair, the scandal and everything. And he's dragged it back up again in a way that is affecting my reputation..."
Victoria and David's marriage became stronger than ever following the alleged infidelity, and they have not addressed the situation following the Netflix series any further.
February 2005: David and Victoria Beckham Welcome Their Third Child
While living in Madrid, David and Victoria welcomed their third child, Cruz David Beckham [13], on 20 Feb., 2005. David announced the news to the press outside of the hospital, saying, "We've got a baby boy. His name is Cruz. He is beautiful. He is in there with his brothers now and he is very happy."
September 2009: David Beckham Gets a Tattoo to Commemorate the Couple’s 10-Year Anniversary
To celebrate his 10th wedding anniversary with Victoria, David got a tattoo sleeve of ten roses on his arm in September 2009. He revealed the sweet inspiration behind the tattoo in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres [14] that same month, telling the host (via Us Weekly [15]), "Yeah, I [got] 10 roses around my arms. We always try and do things special, you know. It's not always about buying gifts for each other, of course. We just make sure that we make time together or go for dinner together and do special things. That's important to us."
July 2011: David and Victoria Beckham Welcome Their Fourth Child
In 2011, David and Victoria continued expanding their family and welcomed their fourth child and first daughter, Harper Seven Beckham, on 10 July, 2011. A spokesperson for the Beckhams said in a statement (via People [16]), "Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz are excited to welcome their new baby sister to the family."
January 2017: David Beckham Reveals He and Victoria Renewed Thier Vows
Though it is unknown when exactly David and Victoria renewed their vows, the football legend revealed in an interview with BBC's Radio 4's "Desert Island Discs" [17] that it was much more low-key than their 1999 wedding. "It was a lot more private, about six people there in our house," he explained (via People [18]).
During the interview, David also discussed how he and Victoria have maintained such a strong relationship over their 18-year marriage. "We're a strong family unit. We've got strong parents. We were brought up with the right values," he shared. "Of course you make mistakes over the years, and we all know marriage is difficult at times. It's about working through it."
July 2018: Victoria Beckham Shuts Down Divorce Rumours
Over the course of their marriage, David and Victoria were subject to a brutal press that often tried to discredit their marriage and perpetuate infidelity rumours. In 2018, rumours began to swirl that the couple were on the brink of divorce, but Victoria was quick to shut down the rumours. She said in a September interview with British Vogue [19], "People have been making things up about our relationship for 20 years, so David and I are pretty used to ignoring the nonsense and just carrying on as normal. But these things have a wider effect on the people around us, and that's unfair."
July 2019: David and Victoria Beckham Celebrate Their 20th Wedding Anniversary
Despite experiencing the highs and lows of being in the spotlight, David and Victoria have proven that they are in it for the long run. In July 2019, the couple celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary and took to Instagram to share their love for one another for the special occasion. In a video with pictures [20] of the two over the years, Victoria wrote, "20 years today. I love you so much xxxxx Kisses x @davidbeckham."
David, in a similar fashion, shared pictures [21] of Victoria with their children, and wrote, "WOW 20 years , look what we created ♥️ Love you so much ♥️ @victoriabeckham @brooklynbeckham @romeobeckham @cruzbeckham #HarperSeven ♥️."
September 2023: David Beckham Gets Another Tattoo to Honour Victoria
Regardless of how long David and Victoria have been together, the retired athlete is always looking for new ways to honour his wife. In September 2023, he shared via Instagram [22] that he got a tattoo on his finger that spelled "Posh." Throughout their relationship, the two were often referred to as "Posh and Becks," which the tattoo honours as well.