Beckhams tell Guy: “Make peace with Madonna!”

Victoria and David Beckham are trying to play peacemakers between Guy Ritchie and his ex Madonna ‘The Beckhams know what teenagers can be like’

s Madonna and A Guy Ritchie gear up for a fierce custody battle over their son Rocco, insiders reveal David and Victoria Beckham are stepping in to help the warring exes settle their dispute.

The feud reached a climax in December after Rocco left Madonna’s Rebel Heart tour and moved to the UK to be with his dad, refusing to return to his mum’s side, or to her New York home. Madonna, 57, then hired a lawyer, and a Manhattan Civil Supreme Court judge ruled Rocco, 15, should return for the start of school on 4 January. Rocco ignored the ruling, choosing to remain in the UK. Guy too has hired lawyers to fight for custody, and a hearing will be held on 2 March in New York to resolve Rocco’s future.

GIVING ADVICE

Now pals say the Beckhams – who have been friends with Guy, 47, for many years, with David attending his wedding to Jacqui Ainsley last summer – have stepped in to help.

A source reveals: “Victoria and David have been devastated to hear what’s going on. They know how difficult teenagers can be, and they don’t want

PUTTING ROCCO FIRST

“Guy is a good friend and they’ve urged him to sort things out of court rather than have Rocco go through the stress of having a custody battle splashed across the papers.

“David and Victoria went to Guy’s house to talk it through and Victoria said she’d be heartbroken if she couldn’t see her boys, or to be forced into fighting things out in court. They talked about how teenagers need both parents as much as toddlers do. The Beckhams know Guy will put Rocco first whatever happens – they are incredibly close.”

Now the row is said to have escalated after Madonna, whose relations with her ex have not been good since their 2008 split – reportedly employed a private investigator to keep tabs on her son. Last week, the singer posted a flashback pic of her and Rocco, as well as children Lourdes, 19, and David, 10, in Malawi, captioned: “How I miss this time” and friends say she’s desperate to end the rift.

A source adds: “Madonna’s head has been all over the place. She just wants to sort things out.”

But while the Beckhams have been playing peacemaker, their own marriage came under fresh scrutiny last week when it was reported they are set to spend six months apart this year, due to conflicting work commitments.

A source says: “It’s going to be a big strain spending so much time away from each other.”