When I was growing up, David Beckham was everywhere.
He was a little bit older than me, just breaking into the Manchester United team while I was still at school. This was the 1990s, the days of Oasis vs Blur, the early internet, New Labour, and Girl Power.
That last one is significant because one of the women behind the Girl Power movement was the future Mrs. Beckham – Victoria Adams, aka Posh Spice.
The pair grew up within 15 minutes of each other, but didn’t actually meet until 1997 when they were both already famous. Their relationship was obsessed over in the press, and in a way, they became the Nation’s sweethearts.
In less than two years, their first child came along, Brooklyn Beckham, and over the next twelve years 3 more kids followed: Romeo, Cruz, and Harper.
You might expect the offspring of a mega famous pair of global superstars to be out of touch, but do you know what? David Beckham’s kids are surprisingly grounded.
The Beckham Children
I have my own thoughts on why David and Victoria’s kids have turned out so well (in my amateur opinion), but first, lets have a quick look at what they are all up to.
Brooklyn Beckham – 4th of March, 1999
The eldest and most well known of the Beckham children is Brooklyn Beckham. It makes me feel ancient that this kid is now a man, but there we go.
Brooklyn’s journey so far has been a bit all over the place, but in a good way. As a child he pursued football, and played in the academies at LA Galaxy, PSG, and finally Arsenal. He didn’t receive a scholarship there though, and in 2015, he decided he wasn’t going to pursue football any further.
Photography was next, a subject which he studied formally. He even released a book of his work as a teenager, but reviews were mixed and it kind of felt like the press were punishing him for trying. He could easily have sat back and lived off Mum and Dad (although they aren’t the sort to let that sort of thing go on) but he kept pushing ahead and found cooking instead.
@brooklynbeckhamQuick little snack. Scotch egg 🐣♬ Chill Vibes – Febri Handika
This seems to be a passion that has stuck. He shares cooking videos online, eventually landed a web series, and seems happy doing that for now. He’s not exactly a Michelin starred chef but he has his own sauce brand, and I’m sure he earns plenty from his social media accounts.
Oh yeah, Brooklyn also got married. He lives in the US with his wife, Nicola Peltz, an actress and billionaire heiress, so he is never that far from the spotlight.
Romeo Beckham – 1st of September, 2002
Romeo Beckham has had stints as a fashion model and a footballer, but he never seems to be doing anything for the headlines.
Don’t get me wrong, he understands the value of a public presence – just ask his 4 million Instagram followers – but he isn’t the sort to publicise his private life just to get attention. He certainly doesn’t court fame, but the jobs he does naturally come with an element of that.
He became the face of Burberry’s children’s range at 10 years old, so modelling was always something he was comfortable with, and indeed, is what he currently does for work.
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However, Romeo was also an aspiring football player. He had some success at youth level before stepping away from the sport to focus on tennis, even training with Andy Murray. Then, in 2020 he decided to go back to football and played for Inter Miami II – the club his Dad part owns. Then he moved to Brentford in the Premier League, but never played for them, before retiring and returning to modelling.
Romeo always comes across as a very laid back young man.
Cruz Beckham – 20th of February, 2005
For a long time it was assumed that Cruz would be the eternal baby of the Beckham family, and that’s kind of how people still see him, despite having a younger sister.
When he was a tiny tot he joined his Mum on stage for a Spice Girls reunion concert and stole the show with his break dancing. He has now gone into the music industry himself, albeit as a multi-instrumentalist and gravelly voiced singer.
It’s only the start of his career so there is not much to report as of yet, and if he’s anything like his brothers he will move onto something else in 4 or 5 years, but for now, music is his passion. It’s actually not his first foray into the world of music, having released a charity Christmas single when he was 11. As you do. His musical tastes are a little different these days though.
He’s not riding the family name either. He too has an online following which he knows how to utilise, but he doesn’t seem desperate for cheap fame.
Harper Beckham – 10th of July, 2011
Finally we come on to Harper Beckham, the youngest of the bunch. The least expected too – everyone thought the Beckham family was complete after Cruz made them a 5. Then in 2011, the Beckham’s announced a surprise 4th child was on the way.
Harper is still a kid, so there is little to say about what she has done in her life so far.
She’s still at school, and her family have done their best to keep her private life private. She doesn’t have social media accounts yet, and although she is regularly spotted at events like fashion shows and the like, she isn’t flaunted in front of the camera or working in the public eye like her brothers did as kids.
That said, Victoria has shared a video of Harper modelling her company’s hand cream, and with the amount of attention she gets at Paris Fashion Week it would be amazing if you didn’t go into some sort of fashion based job when she is older.
David and Victoria’s Parenting Style
I don’t know them, so I can only go on the stories we hear, but from what I can tell, the Beckham’s never wanted their children to grow up entitled, self obsessed, or without understanding the meaning of money.
They are a very close family, that much has been obvious over the years. They are always seen together and supporting each other’s endeavours. In fact, there is a no phones at the dinner table rule to ensure the family talk to each other and really connect. Even when the children were young, David and Victoria would plan their work schedules so one of them was always at home with the kids. They were never left with nannies.
However, this strong bond doesn’t mean the kids got away with murder. David Beckham has discussed the fact he is a strict Dad, just as his father was, and manners were non-negotiable in their household. Saying please and thank you, demonstrating respectful time keeping, and treating other people with kindness were all lessons the children learned.
Unlike most families though, they also had the resources to let the kids try things, get creative, and fail without any serious consequences. They want them to work hard but to find joy in whatever they do.
One great example of what I mean, is when a teenage Brooklyn Beckham worked in a London café for minimum wage. He clearly didn’t need that job, cleaning tables and making flat whites, but the point was to show him what real work looks like. The kids have also done a lot for charity, such as Romeo running a mini marathon as a child to raise money, and David is well known for his work with UNICEF so his children grew up with that fantastic example.
David and Victoria are also fiercely protective parents too. The media once criticised them for letting Harper use a dummy and David fired right back, defending their decision and calling out the parent shaming from the press.
All of this stuff teaches the children respect for one another and other people, teaches them the value of effort and hard work, but also gives them total security. They seem to have a strong sense of who they are, and boundaries put in place to keep them grounded.
