King Charles was reportedly left "seismic with rage" after David and Victoria Beckham accepted an invitation from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor for their daughter Harper's sixth birthday party at Buckingham Palace in 2017, according to a new book.
The former footballer had been keen to mark the occasion in memorable fashion, but the celebrations at Buckingham Palace soon became the subject of a furious backlash.
Party Details and Social Media Posts
According to Alison Boshoff's book Brand Beckham, David shared a series of photographs from the day on Instagram on July 3, 2017. 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 your 6 already) have the most amazing day we love you pretty lady x"
The accompanying pictures showed Harper in the front quadrangle of Buckingham Palace alongside friends. Inside the palace, Princess Eugenie was pictured kneeling down alongside the youngsters, who had dressed up as princesses, with some wearing cardboard crowns.
Victoria was away on fashion business at the time but also shared a picture of Harper wearing a Princess Elsa dress from Disney's Frozen. She captioned it: "Our little birthday princess x Kisses."
Backlash and Protocol Breach Claims
Alison wrote that the posts quickly caused controversy, with former Queen's press secretary Dickie Arbiter hitting out at the Beckhams' presence at the palace. He said they had "no right to be there" and questioned: "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?"
The backlash was particularly uncomfortable given the timing, with critics questioning why the palace was being used for a private birthday celebration following the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
But according to Brand Beckham, the Beckhams had not simply arranged to use Buckingham Palace themselves. Harper's party had been hosted by the then Prince Andrew in his private apartment, following an invitation apparently suggested by his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. Ferguson had a long-standing friendship with Victoria, having first met her when she was a Spice Girl in 1999. The book says the pair shared several social connections, including Sir Elton John, and had attended his White Tie and Tiara parties.
Royal Reaction and Later Knighthood
However, it was the decision to document the palace visit online that reportedly caused particular concern, according to the Daily Mail's editor-at-large. A Palace insider reportedly described the posts as a "serious breach of protocol". The source claimed: "Prince Charles is apparently seismic with rage and this will only deepen his feud with Prince Andrew." They added: "Photos are absolutely not allowed in the Buckingham Palace quadrangle." The insider also claimed: "Prince William will not be amused."
There was reportedly a feeling that Ferguson had only "got away with" the invitation because the late Queen was spending the summer in Scotland. The following day, David appeared to try to clarify exactly what had happened, insisting the palace had not been opened specially for Harper. He wrote: "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 continued: "We were honoured to be able to be there ... Beautiful tea party."
The royal relationship later took a strikingly different turn. In November 2025, David was knighted by King Charles at Windsor Castle for his services to sport and charity. The former England captain, 50, attended with Victoria and his parents, Ted and Sandra Beckham, with the couple smiling together in the castle courtyard. David said he was "immensely proud" of receiving the honour, while Victoria called him her "knight in shining armour" and said she "couldn't be prouder" of him.
