Raised in the distinctly metropolitan neighbourhoods of Leytonstone and Chingford, football legend turned British cultural icon David Beckham has developed a passion for rural living at the age of 50.
The Manchester United hero reveals that a significant part of his transformation came after a visit to His Majesty the King’s countryside residence at Highgrove.
The former England captain is expected to finally receive his long-anticipated knighthood at Windsor Castle today, though his connection with the Royal Family stretches back many years. When David travelled to Highgrove to meet the King and present him with a jar of honey from his personal beehives, he was amazed by what he saw.
He told Country Life magazine: “I could hardly believe what I saw when I visited the workshops at Highgrove in Gloucestershire and what the Foundation is doing to bring back all sorts of old-school crafts, from joinery to stone masonry and millinery, using traditional methods such as straw braiding.”
Voicing his own ambition for younger generations to reconnect with their heritage, he continued: “It’s astonishing to know what incredible work the King is doing for our country and future generations,” reports the Mirror.
David is doing his part to support the next wave of British craftspeople, commissioning a bespoke suit from Joe Holsgrove, a young tailor in his twenties. However, his outfit for today’s ceremony at Windsor will come from somewhere far more personal — his fashion designer wife Victoria. She has created a bespoke morning suit, complete with a tailcoat, specifically for the occasion.
Despite launching her fashion label in 2003, this marks the first time Victoria has ever designed a garment for David.
“David teases Victoria that she never makes him any clothes,” a friend of the couple told the Mail. “So when they found out in the spring that David was going to have his big day at Windsor later in the year, Victoria decided she had enough time to make it happen.
“She has never done anything like this before and knew it would be time-consuming, but Victoria knew the investiture would be some way off. She got to work designing the three-piece suit and, as she doesn’t do anything by halves, she threw herself into it and made sure it was absolutely perfect.
“The fact that David is wearing a Victoria Beckham outfit will make a special day even more special.”
However, on most days, David prefers his tweeds when relaxing at the family’s countryside home.
He revealed that the entire Beckham clan has found peace in their rural retreat.
He recalled: “Romeo came down for the day, and he was sitting on that table between the silver birches facing the lake and he told me: ‘It’s so calm that sometimes I just need to come here to sit.’
“It makes me feel as if I’ve done a good job as a father and that I did the right thing in wanting us to have a house here.”