Can Meghan stop Posh and Becks falling apart?
As Posh performs a U-turn on furloughing staff at her fashion brand amid a growing backlash, pal Meghan Markle steps in to help her through this tough time
She succumbed to a mounting backlash last week and reversed her heavily criticised decision to use taxpayers’ money to furlough 30 staff from her fashion label, despite her family’s £335m fortune.
Posh’s shock U-turn came amid claims she was “unrepentant” and felt “victimised” by the public outcry, which further fuelled ill feeling towards her – with online trolls labelling her a “greedy, selfish attention seeker”, “thick as a plank” and a “selfentitled millionaire”.
A statement released on behalf of Posh, 46, read, “At the beginning of the lockdown, shareholders agreed with senior management to furlough a small proportion of staff. At that point we didn’t know how long the lockdown might last, or its likely impact on the business. The welfare of my team and our business means everything to me.”
In an attempt to save face, a spokesperson for her fashion label – which lost £12.5m last year – added, “We’ve reconsidered and accept there’s a better way forward. These are tough decisions – all I can say is we were trying to protect our staff.”
And as the mood in the Beckham household was said to be “dreadfully tense” amid a flurry of crisis calls before her embarrassing U-turn last Thursday, pals say her change of heart followed a conversation with pal Meghan Markle, who reached out to offer support.
The Duchess – who’s faced near-constant criticism since marrying Prince Harry in 2018 – has repeatedly come under fire for using taxpayers’ money to fund her luxury lifestyle, including £2.4m of renovations to their UK home, Frogmore Cottage, which they later announced they’d repay.
OFFER OF HELP
But after she and Harry stepped down as senior royals earlier this year in a bid to become “financially independent”, the former actress – who recently moved to LA with Harry, 35, and their one-year-old son, Archie – backed Posh’s decision to reverse her stance.
The source says, “Vic is worried about their reputation – they’ve spent decades building up their brand and have pretty much always been respected and liked by their fans. She’s now concerned that everything they’ve built up feels at risk of falling apart because of one decision.
“Meghan knows how the public react to wasting taxpayers’ money, and she wanted to let Vic know she understands what it’s like to be under such scrutiny. She’s offered to help in any way
she can to rebuild her reputation and brand.”
Posh and Meghan formed a friendship when Harry introduced long-time pal David and his wife to Meghan early in their relationship, and the Beckhams attended the royal wedding in May 2018.
They reportedly fell out earlier this year amid allegations Posh was leaking stories about her new pal, but in March, Meghan appeared to confirm Closer’s story that they’d called a truce during a secret meet-up in Canada – where she and Harry, 35, were living at the time – wearing a dress designed by Posh’s label for one of her final royal engagements.
And now Posh feels she needs her friend – who recently moved back to LA with her family – more than ever.
A source says, “Vic admires Meghan – she loves her warmth and courage. She also feels it could really help having Meghan on her side, both as a supportive friend and, of course, with the added royal connection and A-list friends such as Amal Clooney and Serena Williams. It’s a case where a sincere friendship has a knock-on effect of helping promote her [fashion] brand globally – not to mention stopping her brand with David falling apart – and winning back the public.”
Meanwhile, Harry is reportedly pining for his former life, with sources revealing he’s told friends he’s “missing the army” and “can’t believe how his life has turned upside down”.
The Beckhams – who last week posted a video on Instagram of care packages they’d made for elderly neighbours – had hoped they’d moved on from negative press. In 2018, bookies suspended odds on them splitting after claims they were leading separate lives. But no such announcement emerged – a spokesperson called the rumours “an embarrassing waste of time” – and since then the couple seem happier and more loved-up than ever.
TIME TO ESCAPE
And with David’s recent purchase of a £20m Miami pad amid the launch of his MLS soccer team – which insiders told Closer Posh had decided to spend more time in to avoid being separated from the ex-footballer – pals say Meg’s support has further fuelled her desire to make the move.
The source says, “Meghan encouraged Vic to consider a more permanent move back to the US – insisting now is the perfect time to escape. Vic’s seriously contemplating it, and with everything around her seeming to fall apart, knowing Meghan’s in her corner has been the glimmer of hope she’s needed.”
❛ MEGHAN UNDERSTANDS WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE UNDER SUCH SCRUTINY ❜