'The bitterness has escalated': Meghan Markle and Victoria Beckham's friendship hits 'all-time low'
New details of the rift between the Duchess of Sussex and Victoria Beckham have emerged, writes royal biographer Duncan Larcombe
Only a few years ago, the Sussexes and the Beckhams - two of the most famous families in the world - were believed to be very friendly with one another. However, sources now tell me that has all changed, and things between the couples are at an 'all-time low'.
One insider blamed the success of recent projects carried out by the Beckhams, while Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have arguably had far fewer positive headlines and, indeed, less success.
The Duke of Sussex's failed attempt to sue the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday was cited as a reason the bitterness has escalated, and it perhaps laid bare the lengths the Sussexes would go to for public victory. And, with the publisher seeking to recover some of its extensive costs, this is arguably a very low moment for the couple. Do they even have the money to pay the newspaper?
Meghan, someone who has courted the limelight for years and has been criticised for lashing out at the very institution that keeps her in the headlines, is understood to be baffled that the Beckhams receive overwhelmingly positive media coverage while she feels under constant attack.
It's not the first time relations have been reported to be fraught. Last September I spoke to Woman about how Harry and Meghan had reached out to the Beckhams' son Brooklyn and his wife Nicola over their shared family-feuding drama. This must have made Victoria understandably furious.
Like I said at the time, I think Meghan is a social climber and that this was perhaps just another example of her being prepared to play some people off against each other.
So it is perhaps hard to understand why Meghan is thought to be struggling with the Beckhams winning on the publicity front.
One source even went as far as to tell me, 'Meghan feels as though it is one rule for the Beckhams and another for her and Harry. This apparent double standard is a constant issue for Meghan, who sees herself as one of the most trolled women on the planet.'
'The fall-out boils down to jealousy'
Victoria and Meghan were once good friends, of course, in the days when the duchess was happy to wear VB-designed outfits and the Beckhams famously attended the Sussexes' wedding in May 2018.
And prior to meeting wife Meghan, Harry was close to David, with the former England football captain-turned international icon a familiar face in supporting some of the good causes promoted by the Firm.
But, ultimately, the friendship was to be short-lived, with my sources claiming that the former friends' fall-out most likely 'boils down to jealousy' and one even breaking rank by saying, 'I believe it was envy that caused the fall-out.'
My sources also suggest that Meghan was 'furious' about the success of David's Netflix documentary, as well as the announcement of Victoria's dedicated limited series.
Meghan 'put on airs' around Victoria - and had 'little in common'
Indeed, when the Sussexes unveiled the trailer for their high-powered and non-scripted sports show Polo in November 2024, the insider said there was 'an element of the green-eyed monster' relating to their respective upcoming releases.
Royal biographer Tom Bower wrote in his book The House of Beckham that Meghan and Victoria initially fell out over requests for free clothing from Victoria's fashion line, make-up tips, as well as a 'snubbing' during a visit to Australia – accounts that led to the Beckhams being accused of leaking stories to the press.
'In Meghan's celebrity world, ranking depended on wealth and fame,' Tom Bower claimed in his book, adding, 'As a seasoned operator, Meghan deluded herself that her status in the Royal Family placed her above Victoria in the social pecking order.'
'[Meghan] was irritated to discover that the Beckhams had considerably more wealth than herself. They owned five homes, had constant access to private jets, invitations to sail on yachts and much more money. And she was soon to be a duchess.'
Bower's biography on the Beckhams also alleged that Meghan 'put on airs' around Victoria when they first met, but that she also felt she had 'little in common' with the former pop star.
But if reports are to be believed, this didn't stop her from requesting free clothes from Victoria's label. However, according to Bower, Meghan's arguably crude request was 'vetoed by the Palace for being against their rules'.
'Making up now is so unlikely'
Tom Bower even suggested that the friction between the couples heightened when the Beckhams were not requested to attend the Sussexes' wedding dinner, having only received an invite to the ceremony.
But the Sussexes hit back at the biographer following his more recent book, Betrayal: Power, Deceit and the Fight for the Future of the Royal Family, saying in a statement, '[Bower] has made a career out of constructing ever more elaborate theories about people he does not know and has never met.'
Reports of the couples' falling-out recirculated in August 2023 after stories suggested that the former England football captain was 'absolutely furious' after it was claimed that the Beckhams had shared private details with reporters. At the time, a source said that 'any making up now is so unlikely'.
'Hollywood movers and shakers have grown wary of associating with the Sussexes'
Victoria had previously been nothing but glowing about Meghan, calling her a 'genuinely lovely woman' in a 2018 interview. And, according to a Vanity Fair article from the same year, Meghan had been consulting VB for fashion advice. 'Meghan really likes Victoria's style and was keen to pick her brains about pulling together a working wardrobe,' a source said.
Meghan even wore one of VB's designs for her final official outing as a working royal, at the 2020 Endeavour Fund Awards. The turquoise-blue pencil dress became something of an iconic image as the couple walked through rainy London, looking decidedly happy about the new life that lay ahead for them in California.
As a jobbing actor growing up in LA, many think Meghan would have dreamt of the day when A-list stars would fall over themselves to make her acquaintance. In reality, many of the Hollywood movers and shakers appear to have grown wary of publicly associating themselves with the Sussexes.
When former US President Barack Obama celebrated his 60th birthday in August 2021, an invite for Harry and Meghan seemed conspicuous by its absence. And even celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey – who, of course, famously interviewed Harry and Meghan in 2021 – are believed to have distanced themselves from the royal couple.
The reason stems from Harry's ongoing feud with Prince William. Relations between the two brothers are so bitter that many of the rich and powerful are reluctant to be seen as 'Team Sussex', given that William is the future King.
It feels like things aren't going to get easier for the duke and duchess any time soon.
This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.
