Inside Beckhams' bond with royals and furious fallout with Prince Harry and Meghan

As King Charles hosted a glittering state banquet at Buckingham Palace for the Qatari state visit to the UK, eyebrows were raised by two surprise guests - David and Victoria Beckham. But it seems the pair have almost become intertwined in royal life...

King Charles' glittering state banquet for the Emir of Qatar had hundreds of glamorous guests - but two that stood out from the rest were David and Victoria Beckham.

The ex-England captain and the former Spice Girl turned fashion designer – dubbed "Posh and Becks" – were surprise attendees at the huge royal event thanks to David's role as an ambassador for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. But his appearance at the white-tie bash isn't the first time he's rubbed shoulders with royalty.

Somehow the former footballer has become a regular fixture at royal events, often being pictured with the likes of King Charles and Prince William. In fact, he and wife Victoria were guests when William married Kate and just recently the former Manchester United star and King bonded over their love of beekeeping. But when it comes to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, it seems the bond is not as cosy as it once was...

King Charles

As a former Spice Girl, Victoria had several encounters with the King before he ascended to the throne, including one where he was showered with her bandmates' kisses. But it seems it's David himself who now shares a closer bond with the monarch. Back in May, it was reported that the two men shared a private meeting despite the King's estranged son Prince Harry being in Britain at the time.

Then it was revealed exactly what that meeting was about as the ex-England football captain was named a King's Foundation ambassador. In photographs released to mark the announcement, David was pictured with the King on the doorstep of Highgrove, Charles' Gloucestershire retreat, and shown trying out his carpentry skills with foundation students taking part in woodworking courses at the Snowdon School of Furniture.

The pair also swapped beekeeping tips as both have hives and David said: "Having developed a love for the countryside I'm also on a personal mission to learn more about rural skills which is so central to the Foundation's work. It was inspiring to hear from the King about the work of His Majesty's foundation during my recent visit to Highgrove Gardens – and compare beekeeping tips!"

In the summer, the two men caught up again at the inaugural King's Foundation awards at Buckingham Palace - and chatted about football by discussing England's chances in the Euro 2024 championships. Referring to England's friendly loss to Iceland before the tournament, Charles said: "What was all that at Wembley?" David replied: "I don't think we should read much into it." Charles said: "It doesn't really matter, does it? It was a warming-up sort of thing. You don't want to expend it all in one go at the beginning."

Reassuring the King, David said "we'll be ready, Gareth will be ready" to which Charles gave the former footballer a thumbs up.

Prince Harry

However, when it comes to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Beckham's friendship seems less cosy. At first, it seemed the Sussexes were on very friendly terms with the Beckhams and they were reportedly eager to make Meghan feel welcome in the UK. In fact, there were reports that Victoria had given Meghan access to her little black book of her favourite hairdressers and stylists in London.

But the first sign of tension came shortly after when reports about Victoria helping out Meghan were published - leaving the Sussexes upset. According to the Mail On Sunday, Harry confronted David with his suspicions in a phone call that left the ex-Manchester United star "furious".

Afterwards, the couples seemed to put the ordeal behind them with David and Victoria at St George's Chapel in Windsor to see Harry and Meghan get married in May 2018. Victoria wore a chic navy dress and hat while David looked smart in a morning suit. Several months later, the royal couple headed off on a tour of Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, which coincided with the 2018 Invictus Games that were being held in Sydney. Harry and a pregnant Meghan appeared at the opening ceremony of the Games.

Harry is said to have asked David to be an ambassador for the Invictus Games - but things reportedly turned sour when the prince refused to see the former England football captain at the event in Sydney in 2018. It was claimed that the reason Harry was keeping his friend at arms' length was Meghan - as she feared Victoria was leaking stories about her to the press.

Meanwhile, more recently, there have been signs that all has not been right between the Sussexes and the Beckhams. In 2022, when David and Victoria's eldest son Brooklyn married actress Nicola Peltz in a lavish wedding in Florida, Harry and Meghan were nowhere to be seen.

Similarly, last summer when David welcomed football superstar Lionel Messi to his Inter Miami team, a star-studded crowd were in attendance for his debut. Among them included Kim Kardashian, LeBron James and Serena William, a known BFF of Meghan, but again the Sussexes weren't there.

So could it be that Harry's cooling of relations with the Beckhams come after David so publicly backed the Duke of Sussex's estranged brother William?

Prince William

Like Harry, William has known David and Victoria for many years, with the Beckhams being at Westminster Abbey when the Prince of Wales married Kate Middleton back in 2011. In fact, Kate has worn a Victoria Beckham dress and sunglasses on outings in the past. In 2022, David joined both William and Kate when they travelled to Boston for the Prince of Wales' second annual Earthshot Prize awards, where he presented a prize at one of William's main projects.

Earlier this year, David also joined William to unveil a brand new helicopter for the London Air Ambulance after a multi-million pound fundraising campaign.