Victoria Beckham at 50: From a happy family childhood to global fame with the Spice Girls and the world's most iconic WAG... before reinventing herself as an A-list fashion mogul

PUBLISHEDWed Apr 17 2024 09:23 GMT

UPDATEDWed Apr 17 2024 10:43 GMT

Victoria Beckham's life has proven to be more eventful than most, with enough success and reinventions to fill multiple autobiographies.

But while the designer is now considered one of the most recognisable names on the planet, her early years couldn't have been more different, with a humble childhood growing up in Hertfordshire.

Dreaming of international stardom, Victoria became a nationwide star as a member of the UK's biggest girlband, The Spice Girls, under her stage alter-ego Posh Spice.

As the wife of football megastar David Beckham, Victoria became the centre of even more attention as a member of the coveted WAGs club, before reinventing herself as a designer and fashion mogul, with her pieces regularly a fixture at Fashion Week.

So, as Victoria celebrates her 50th birthday, MailOnline takes a look-back at her incredible life...

Victoria Beckham's life has proven to be more eventful than most, with enough success and reinventions to fill multiple autobiographies

Humble beginnings

Victoria was born on April 17, 1974 to parents Tony, an electronics enginner, and Jackie , a former insurance clerk and hairdresser, at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex

The eldest of three children, she previously insisted that her family were 'very working class' while she was growing up, though her husband David disputed this

Victoria previously shared that after seeing the 1980 classic Fame at the age of seven, she decided she wanted to be famous

While her parents enrolled her in the Jason Theatre School in Enfield, growing up wasn't easy, with Victoria previously sharing that she struggled with acne and body insecurities

Victoria was born on April 17, 1974 to parents Tony, an electronics enginner, and Jackie , a former insurance clerk and hairdresser, at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex.

The eldest of three children, she previously insisted that her family were 'very working class' while she was growing up, though David disputed this in a now-virtal clip from his Netflix docuseries last year.

David interrupted, incredulous, and asked Victoria to be honest to which she replied: 'I am!' He then repeatedly asked Victoria to reveal what car her dad used to drive her to school in.

The singer eventually gave in and said: 'OK. In the Eighties, my dad had a Rolls-Royce.'

While she was born in Harlow, Victoria moved to Goffs Oak in Hertfordshire with her parents Jackie and Tony Adams before relocating back to Essex.

She previously gave fans a tour of her childhood bedroom, which was full of old toys, with a teddy on the drawers, a rocking horse by the wall and a basket of dolls under the stairs.

Victoria previously shared that after seeing the 1980 classic Fame at the age of seven, she decided she wanted to be famous.

While her parents enrolled her in the Jason Theatre School in Enfield, growing up wasn't easy, with Victoria sharing in a letter to her 18-year-old self in Vogue that she struggled with acne and body insecurities, and was bullied on her first day of secondary schoo.

She said: 'You have never properly fitted in, although you are sharing your Surrey school digs with really nice girls. You have bad acne.

'You think the principal has put you at the back of the end-of-year show (in a humiliatingly bright purple Lycra leotard) because you are too plump to go at the front. (This may or may not be true.)'

After finishing school, Victoria attended Laine Arts Theatre College in Epsom where she studied dance and modelling.

Posh Spice is born!

While working as a dancer, in 1994 Victoria answered a newspaper ad in The Stage seeking 'streetwise, outgoing, ambitious' singers for a new girlband

She joined forces with Geri Halliwell, Mel C, Emma Bunton and Mel B to form The Spice Girls with the fivesome living together as they attempted to carve out a career in the music industry

Joining forces with manager Simon Fuller, The Spice Girls' hard work paid off in 1996 when their track Wannabe soared to the top of the charts

Things came to an abrupt end in 1998 when Geri sensationally quit the band, and after continuing as a foursome, the group revealed in 2000 they would be going on hiatus

While working as a dancer, in 1994 Victoria answered a newspaper ad in The Stage seeking 'streetwise, outgoing, ambitious' singers for a new girlband.

She joined forces with Geri Halliwell, Mel C, Emma Bunton and Mel B to form The Spice Girls with the fivesome living together as they attempted to carve out a career in the music industry.

Speaking in the Beckham documentary, she said: 'We were on a mission to prove that girls are better than boys. I suppose what we created was a bit of a monster in the five of us really - we would jump on the tables… well, I didn't jump on the tables, I was a little more sensible.

A love story for the ages

While Victoria was riding high as a member of The Spice Girls, she also met the man that would be by her side throughout her career - her husband David

After an unlikely meeting in 1997, David and Victoria announced in January 1998 that they were engaged, after he popped the question in a hotel room packed with flowers

While wedding plans were in the pipeline, the couple welcomed their first child together, son Brooklyn, before tying the knot in a now-iconic ceremony at Luttrellstown Castle in 1999

While Victoria was riding high as a member of The Spice Girls, she also met the man that would be by her side throughout her career.

Then a football superstar at Manchester United, Victoria met her husband David at one of his matches, before getting engaged in January 1998.

Speaking about the proposal, Victoria said at the time: 'We'd already looked at a few rings but I didn't know which one he had chosen. I'd told him what my dream ring would be. He remembered and had it specially made for me'.

While wedding plans were in the pipeline, the couple welcomed their first child together, son Brooklyn, months later, before tying the knot in a now-iconic ceremony at Luttrellstown Castle in Ireland in 1999.

As part of their marital shoot, the couple were famously pictured sitting on a pair of matching golden thrones during the day.

Their picturesque Irish venue sat on 560 acres and dated back to the 18th century, with organsier Peregrine Armstrong-Jones telling OK! how 'Victoria wanted somewhere really private and unique, somewhere leafy and green'.

While many doubted that their relationship would last, Victoria previously shared the secret to her long and happy marriage, with the couple set to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in July.

She told Grazia that they 'have so much respect for each other. David is an incredible dad, and husband, and he's very supportive of my work. We are really good partners.'

Queen of the WAGSs

After marrying David, Victoria cemented herself as a member of the WAGs club, joining the likes of Coleen Rooney, Cheryl and Alex Gerrard

The glamorous wives and girlfriends famously commanded the spotlight during the tournament, garnering more attention than their player husbands

After marrying David, Victoria cemented herself as a member of the WAGs club, joining the likes of Coleen Rooney, Cheryl and Alex Gerrard in Germany for the 2006 World Cup.

While Victoria proudly supported David at many of his matches, her eye-catching ensembles also caught the eye.

The glamorous wives and girlfriends famously commanded the spotlight during the tournament, garnering more attention than their player husbands who actually took to the pitch in Germany.

Last year David and his close friend Gary Neville remarked on the influence of their WAGs at that time in a chat on Neville's YouTube channel.

Reflecting on the decision to have the footballer's families take centre stage during that World Cup, David admitted he was never against having the loved ones support them at the tournament.

He said: 'I think there was attention on them. I always believed as an England captain, having wives and girlfriends and the kids around wasn't a bad thing.

'Once you're in a training camp, you're in training camp, you have to focus, but I think at the start of a tournament, it's not a bad thing.'

But the sportsman, who was captain of the Three Lions for the tournament which saw them crash out in the quarter-finals after losing a penalty shootout against Portugal, confessed the obsession with the WAGs did go 'too far.'

He said: 'Looking back, that whole culture - there was a lot of attention around that and whether people behaved themselves in the right manner, I don't know.

'Even Victoria - she's the first to say now - what was I doing, what was I wearing, why would I do that? It did [go too far].

'There was more spoken about the WAGs than football. at the time, players want to focus on the tournament. It went too far, but I do believe having the WAGs and family around is a good thing.'

Motherhood and a marriage scare

Victoria was a constant support throughout David's sporting career, even when it meant uprooting their lives and relocating to Spain when he signed for Real Madrid in 2003

David admitted that Victoria (pictured in 2004) 'wasn't too happy,' about the news that they would be leaving the UK, with the designer adding: 'We had a family to think about'

Victoria and David welcomed their third child together, son Cruz in 2005 (pictured in 2007)

Victoria was a constant support throughout David's sporting career, even when it meant uprooting their lives and relocating to Spain when he signed for Real Madrid in 2003.

At the time, the couple had welcomed sons Brooklyn and Romeo, and Victoria admitted adjusting to their new life abroad, far from the support of their family in the UK, wasn't easy.

Speaking in David's Netflix documentary, the designer said that was always perceived as 'the villain' by Spanish football fans because she didn't move there with David right away, insisting that she only delayed it until she could find suitable schools for their sons Brooklyn and Romeo.

Detailing the moment David shared the news of their relocation in the documentary's third episode, Victoria said she replied: 'What do you mean we're going to Spain?''

'[David] said ''we're going to Spain,'' when?' ''In about 12 hours!''

Victoria added: 'I was like what do you mean we don't have anywhere to live, we don't have schools for the children, what do you mean? But the reality is that we moved to Spain.'

Asked how she felt about the move, Victoria said: 'Less than ideal.'

Later in the documentary, Victoria admitted she resented her husband after he turned their life into a 'circus'.

She candidly confessed: 'If I'm being honest it's probably the most unhappy I have ever been in my entire life.

'It wasn't that I was being unheard, I chose to internalise a lot of it because I was always mindful of the focus that he needed.'

It was during this time that David was also accused of having an affair with his then-personal assistant Rebecca Loos, which he has profusely denied.

The designer revealed that the months afterwards were the 'hardest' of her life and that she no longer felt like the couple 'had each other'.

The crisis prompted Victoria to relocate to Madrid, where they bought a £3million home which she says she decorated herself. She later went on to have the couple's third son, Cruz, now 18, in the Spanish capital.

Domestic bliss

While she and David's lives are more fast-moving than most, in recent years Victoria has settled into a comfortable balance between life in London, Miami and The Cotswolds

She and David split time with their property in west London, which is worth an eye-watering £31 million

As she prepared to celebrate her 50th birthday, Victoria also gave fans a never-before-seen glimpse inside her £24million Miami penthouse

In July 2011, David announced they had welcomed their fourth child - and their first daughter - Harper, completing their family

While she and David's lives are more fast-moving than most, in recent years Victoria has settled into a comfortable balance between life in London, Miami and The Cotswolds.

The couple welcomed their fourth child, daughter Harper, in 2011, and in 2016 purchased their countryside bolthole for a reported £6.15 million.

The property boasts a sauna, plunge pool, football pitch, gym, swimming pool and £50,000 safari tent in the grounds for entertaining. It is now thought to be worth about £12 million.

She and David also split time with their property in the capital, which is worth an eye-watering £31 million.

The six-bedroom house was built in the mid-19th century, and features six bedrooms, a gym, cinema room, play room and spa room.

Meanwhile, a seventh bedroom was converted into a dressing room and beauty room for David and Victoria's extensive wardrobe.

The exclusive area has been dubbed a 'millionaire's row' with other famous residents including Elton John and Robbie Williams.

As she prepared to celebrate her 50th birthday, Victoria also gave fans a never-before-seen glimpse inside her £24million Miami penthouse.

David is said to have bought the pad - way up on the 59th floor of One Thousand Museum, which at 62 storeys and a height of 215m is one of the tallest buildings in the Floridian city - for £17.15million back in 2020.

Boasting five bedrooms, a luxury swimming pool and even its own rooftop helipad, the penthouse is used as a base for the family when David work's with his football team Inter Miami.

Residents are also able to use the buildings two-storey gym, spa, infinity pool, and the hair and beauty services.

A VERY stylish career move

Since rising to fame in the 90s, Victoria's fashion evolution has been a sight to behold, and in 2008, she launched her self-titled fashion brand (pictured at the time)

It was a slow and steady rise to success for the label, with the brand finally turning a profit late last year, 15 years after its launch in 2008 with a range of just 10 dresses

Her success has been such that last year she opened her third store in Paris - something of a dream for the star who also made her debut at Fashion Week

Since rising to fame in the 90s, Victoria's fashion evolution has been a sight to behold, pivoting from boob jobs, double denim and tight leather dresses to chic tailoring and a far more pared-back look.

In the early years of her fashion career, Victoria became a staple on the runway, walking for names such as Maria Grachvogel in London Fashion Week in 2000 and Roberto Cavalli at the 2006 Milan Fashion Week.

In 2006, Victoria started to dabble in fashion, lending her name to a range of jeans by Rock And Republic, and bringing out a budget fragrance.

READ MORE: Victoria Beckham's iconic looks over the years after swapping her beloved boob tubes for tailored trouser suits

There was also an association with the ultra-flashy designer Roberto Cavalli, which made the fashion elite snigger into their sleeves.

It was a slow and steady rise to success for Victoria's fashion label, with the brand finally turning a profit late last year, 15 years after its launch in 2008 with a range of just 10 dresses.

The business success came with the help of an £890 clutch bag, a £30 eyeliner and a carefully orchestrated social media strategy which sees her post make-up tutorial videos on TikTok which are watched by millions.

Victoria was said to be 'thrilled' at the turnaround after her latest financial accounts showed it was £200,000 in the black in 2022, as shoppers bought up her accessories after she launched a line of leather goods last year.

The chain pouch clutch bag, which comes in several colours including black, cream and lilac, has become a must-have item. While most of them are priced at £890, more specialised versions cost up to £1,550.

Meanwhile, her beauty arm, which Victoria began in 2019, has also been a huge success - in particular her satin kajal eyeliner, priced at £30.

Sources close to Victoria said their popularity came from posts on TikTok and Instagram that show potential buyers how to apply them.

Her success has been such that last year she opened her third store in Paris in the department store Galeries Lafayette - something of a dream for the star who also made her debut at Fashion Week in the French capital that year, alongside the industry's most successful designers.

Victoria made one-on-one appointments with the editors of fashion magazines in her private suite at Claridge's hotel, in a bid to win them over with her collection.

Even the late Karl Lagerfeld was a fan, saying in 2012: 'I know her from her days as a Spice Girl. Her designs are not bad at all; they're good. She's totally unpretentious.'

A Spicy reunion

Following a hiatus from performing in 2000, Spice Girls fans were floored when it was announced that all five members of the band would be reuniting for a tour in 2007

While they wowed fans in the UK and US with shows, planned concerts in Sydney, Beijing, Cape Town and Buenos Aires were cancelled at the last minute

While the group did join forces again in 2012 for a one-off performance at the London Olympics Closing Ceremony, Victoria reportedly ruled herself out of any future reunions

When The Spice Girls joined forces once again in 2019, Victoria opted not to take part, though she is reported to be appearing in a Netflix documentary about the band

Following a hiatus from performing in 2000, Spice Girls fans were floored when it was announced that all five members of the band would be reuniting for a tour in 2007.

Geri and Victoria reportedly clashed during the tour, with sources saying Posh's habit of being constantly on her phone to David or fashion friends such as 'Donatella' (Versace) got up everyone's noses.

While they wowed fans in the UK and US with shows, planned concerts in Sydney, Beijing, Cape Town and Buenos Aires were cancelled at the last minute.

'They basically said if I didn't want to do it then they were going to do it anyway,' Mel C later revealed.

'I didn't want to be the person who stopped it being the complete five. I was scared that I would be the villain.'

While the group did join forces again in 2012 for a one-off performance at the London Olympics Closing Ceremony, Victoria reportedly ruled herself out of any future reunions, and did not join the band on their tour in 2019.

At the time Victoria told Vogue: 'It took me a lot of courage not to go on tour with the Spice Girls again, but to be the one who says: 'You know, I'm not doing it because things feel different now than they used to.'

Earlier this year The Mail On Sunday also said Victoria has ruled out the prospect of performing with the band, when rumours swirled that the group were due to appear at Glastonbury.

Victoria is due to take part in a documentary film made by Star Trek and Star Wars director J. J. Abrams which will tell the story of the band's rise to stardom in the 1990s and feature interviews and unseen material from their personal archives.

Entering a new era

Now, as Victoria turns 50, it remains to be seen what the future will hold for her, with a reflective social media post hinting that 'this is just the start'

Now, as Victoria turns 50, it remains to be seen what the future will hold for her, with a reflective social media post hinting that 'this is just the start.'

Posting a photo of herself in a bra and suit from her fashion line, the star shared a lengthy message, thanking David and her four 'beautiful' children for their 'unconditional love and support' as she reflected on her life.

The Spice Girl declared: 'As I get ready to step into 50 (in heels, of course!), I feel so incredibly blessed to have reached this milestone.'

She went onto gush about her career highlights, saying she was 'blessed, but also accomplished and deeply content.'

'Not just of where I am as a woman, but of how far my fashion and beauty brands have come.'

'My ambition was always to empower women and make them feel like the best version of themselves. To me, that meant trusting my instinct and never compromising on my creative vision.'

She added that she was proud of her career trajectory, from pop star to fashion designer, writing: 'I believe that you can be many things. A pop star, a mother, a wife, a designer…'

'My passion has always been to dream big, then dream even bigger! Believe in yourself first — everyone else will follow. And if you're really lucky, you'll find someone who believes in you even more than you do.'

Thanking David, the star gushed that she was 'forever grateful for your unconditional love and support, and for our beautiful children.'

'@BrooklynPeltzBeckham, @RomeoBeckham, @CruzBeckham you complete me. I'm so proud, so in awe of the kind, hard-working, talented individuals you are all becoming.'

Ending her post with a promise that she will continue to strive for for more, Victoria declared: 'So, here's to doing more of what I love with the people I love. I'm so thankful for my family, my friends, and my incredible team! This is the beginning of an exciting new chapter, and I'm only just getting started.'

'Mummy and daddy, I love you. Kisses Victoria xx'