Uh-oh, Posh has been caught out sneaking around
As the Beckhams appear to break lockdown, she’s not bothered
This time last year, nobody would’ve batted an eyelid if they heard about a rich celebrity splitting their time between two luxury homes. But as we all know, we’re not living in normal times at the moment, and David and Victoria Beckham caused outrage among many last week when they were seen travelling between their London and Cotswolds properties – despite the current lockdown rules in England forbidding it.
The drama started after both
David and Victoria posted a video of them with their two youngest children – Cruz, 15, and nineyear-old Harper – observing the two minute silence on Remembrance Sunday, where they were clearly at their country estate. The following day, Posh posted a picture of herself in the same jumper, which was taken by Harper, saying she was working from home, again in the Cotswolds. But she was caught out by paparazzi, who photographed her outside their London house that very same morning, kissing goodbye to Harper as David drove her to school. And people were quick to comment.
“So, they’re clearly breaking lockdown – one rule for them and one rule for us,” one follower moaned, while another wrote, “If they were in the country at the weekend, they shouldn’t be in London the next day. Naughty Beckhams.”
But Posh – who is also mum to Brooklyn, 21, and 18-year-old Romeo – didn’t seem to care, and then posted another picture of her “working from home” from her
Cotswolds kitchen, so she had either gone back again or was pretending she was there. Two days later, another social media post showed Harper in her school uniform by the fireplace in their London house. A nd despite the anger from some, we’re told they’re not too bothered about how their actions are being seen.
“David and Vic seemed to have developed a bit of a ‘we’re above the rules’ attitude when it comes to showcasing their life on social media,” an insider tells heat. “Even though England has gone into lockdown, they’ve not even tried to hide the fact they are not
‘They’ve got a “we’re above the rules” attitude’
really changing their lifestyle of being in London during the week and the Cotswolds at the weekend. Vic just bats away any criticism, saying she’s not going to pretend to be ‘holier than thou’ when she knows everyone is frustrated. She thinks it’s an ideal time to be doing as much as she can on social media to up her profile, as she has a captive audience. But the way they’ve been flaunting it has led to some people accusing them of being tone deaf, which could backfire on them again.”
The couple came under fire during the first lockdown, after it was revealed Victoria, 46, had taken advantage of the government’s furlough scheme for her fashion business, despite being worth a reported £336million. She later reversed her decision after days of negative headlines and fan backlash. It was also reported
both she and David, 45, had tested positive for COVID in March, soon after holding a huge party for Brooklyn’s 21st birthday, but neither of them said anything at the time. Instead, throughout spring, they were keen to show they were sticking to the rules, holing up in the Cotswolds for over three months.
This time, they seem to be doing things differently. Last week, heat told you they were clashing over where to spend the second lockdown – it now appears they’ve decided to have the best of both worlds. The family seemed to be in London when the new restrictions came into force, with their social media posts indicating they celebrated fireworks night in their west London garden. And with Cruz and Harper both at school in the capital, it appears they travelled to the Cotswolds at the weekend, even though it’s not allowed under the rules, unless it’s for essential work purposes.
But with Victoria’s London fashion store having to close and David being unable to fly to Miami for his football team, it seems unlikely that they had urgent business outside London. “For rich people like the Beckhams, their lockdown is very different – it may mean no travel abroad, but this time around, that’s probably the only restriction,” says the source. “They still have their daily personal trainers, full domestic staff – housekeeper, driver etc – and they think it’s fine to continue on as normally as possible.”
The insider continues, “The Beckhams don’t really have an appreciation for how difficult this is for a lot of people. Vic was actually getting excited as if it was like a little holiday from life – she’s telling friends it means she will have so much time to plan the Christmas décor and party. She wants to go all out this year – she’s putting all of her energy into planning a big family day with lots of presents. They’ll be in the
Cotswolds and she wants as many people to join them as they can.”
This doesn’t mean Victoria is worry-free right now, however, as we’re told she does have concerns about her business and is anxious about the impact the latest restrictions will have. Since launching her Victoria Beckham label in 2008, she has won lots of critical acclaim for her designs and many A-list stars wear her clothes. But last year’s records showed it was operating at a £12million loss, we’re told, and Posh is worried about how it will survive this pandemic.
“Her fashion business has been struggling for the last few years, and it really took a kicking because of lockdown earlier this year,” our insider says. “And now she fears it won’t survive. Her brand is too luxury for the online retail space, her customers are VIPS who have personal shoppers and enjoy being pampering, not getting a dress in the post. She’s trying to do everything she can to save it, but she knows now it’s an uphill battle.”
The source continues, “No one is buying anything, because no one is going anywhere – she’s reliant on the Middle Eastern market right now, and trying to focus all her energy into the new beauty business. But that’s struggling, too – it’s a disastrous time for fashion and it doesn’t look like things will improve any time soon.”
But, while all this uncertainty may not be good for her business, on a personal note, the insider adds that Victoria loves being able to spend more time with David. “She loves having him around the house – and for her, it’s a distraction from the stress of her business and all the travel they normally do,” we’re told. “Sure, they are both still working, but not as much, and there are no public appearances or events to juggle in the diary. For her, the benefit of lockdown is this idyllic family life, cooking lovely dinners, cosy evenings at home with David, having a glass of wine and watching TV or chatting on the phone, and waking up in her own bed every morning, with David there beside her.”
The sources continues, “Her attitude is that she’s on a ‘retreat from life’. Sometimes, it feels like she doesn’t get how differently they live compared to the vast amount of the country, and how it comes across.” n
‘For rich people like them, lockdown is very different’