David & Victoria Beckham’s Relationship Timeline: From the Early Days to a Proud Family of 6

The former Spice Girl and retired footballer have been married for 24 years. Find out more about their love story here.

Victoria Beckham, 49, and David Beckham, 48, have become one of England’s hottest couples over the years. The former Spice Girl and retired footballer started dating in the 1990s and went on to get married and start their own family. They’re often seen supporting each other at various public events and are always one of the best dressed couples at fashion-related outings.

The lovebirds seemed to know they were destined to say “I do” even before they got engaged. In 2008, David told Ellen DeGeneres that he knew he wanted to marry Victoria after seeing the Spice Girls on TV. “I was in a hotel room with my best friend, who was my best man at my wedding,” he said, according to PEOPLE. “I remember turning around — before I’d even met Victoria — and said, ‘I want to marry that one.’ “

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Find out more about Victoria and David’s romance below.

1997: Victoria and David Meet

Victoria and David first met at a soccer match in 1997, even though they had lived down the street from each other in London, England while growing up. “She came to a football match — soccer match — and I said hi from across the room and that was it,” David reportedly said during an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “I thought I’d missed my chance, and then a week later she turned up at another football match.”

David went further into details about their second meeting during an interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “We talked for about an hour in the players’ lounge and then she actually got the train up that day, so she wrote her number down on her train ticket, which I still have,” he said.

In 2014, Victoria posted a picture of the dress that she wore on her first date with David. It was an orange sleeveless piece with a belted waist.

January 1998: Victoria and David Get Engaged

Less than a year after dating, Victoria and David got engaged over the New Year holiday in 1998. They announced the happy news a short time later but revealed they weren’t planning on saying “I do” until the summer of 1999.

1998: Victoria and David Announce They’re Expecting

The loving couple announced that they were expecting their first child together in 1998. Not many other details were known about the soon-to-be bundle of joy at the time.

March 1999: Victoria and David Welcome Their First Child

On March 4, 1999, Victoria and David welcomed son Brooklyn Joseph to the world. The proud mother talked about finding out she was pregnant and why she and David chose Brooklyn for her baby’s name, in her 2001 autobiography, Learning to Fly.

“It was when we were in Marbella [Spain] that we came up with the name Brooklyn,” she wrote. “We already knew he was a boy and so I knew he could end up a footballer, so it had to be a name that was a bit blokey. I had always liked the name Brooke and then we suddenly thought about Brooklyn. I’d always liked it as a place — it’s very multi-cultural, very grounded. And it was only afterwards that I realized how appropriate it was because it was in New York that I found out I was pregnant.”

July 1999: Victoria and David Get Married

The new parents were married on July 4, 1999. Their wedding took place at Luttrellstown Castle outside Dublin, Ireland. The star-studded guest list included some of Victoria’s Spice Girls bandmates and David’s teammates as well as singers Elton John and George Michael. The bride wore a gorgeous Vera Wang gown and an 18-karat gold tiara designed by Princess Diana‘s jeweler. After the ceremony, the married couple and their son Brooklyn changed into matching eggplant purple outfits for the reception.

September 2002: Victoria and David Welcome Their Second Child

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After announcing Victoria’s pregnancy in early 2002, the husband and wife welcomed their second child, son Romeo James, on September 1, 2002.

2003: Victoria and David Move to Spain

The parents of two moved to Spain along with their kids in 2003 after David signed a four-year contract with Real Madrid. They ended up living there for several years until they moved to the states in 2007.

February 2005: Victoria and David Welcome Their Third Child

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Son Cruz David was born to the couple on February 20, 2005. “We’ve got a baby boy. His name is Cruz,” David told reporters outside the hospital in Madrid. “He is beautiful. He is in there with his brothers now and he is very happy.”

2007: Victoria and David Move to Los Angeles, CA

David signed a five-year contract with LA Galaxy, causing the family to change locations. They ended up moving into a $22 million mansion in Beverly Hills and their housewarming party was hosted by then-married couple Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.

July 2011: Victoria and David Welcome Their Fourth Child

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Daughter Harper Seven was born on July 10, 2011. The couple issued a statement after the birth and expressed their excitement about the new addition to their family. “Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz are excited to welcome their new baby sister to the family,” the Beckhams’ spokesperson said at the time.

David talked about always wanting a big family during his appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2008. “We’ve always wanted a big family, which was weird because when we first got together, we never even discussed how many children we wanted, but it just, it’s worked out that we want a big family,” he said. “You know, we love kids, so it’s worked out perfect.”

2013: David Retires & the Family Moves Back to London

Victoria was seen house-hunting in London before David later left LA Galaxy and played a short time with Paris Saint-Germain.

January 2017: David Reveals He & Victoria Renewed Their Wedding Vows

The skilled ahtlete revealed the happy news during an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. “It was a lot more private, about six people there in our house,” he said about the ceremony on the show. He also squashed rumors that their marriage was a business decision. “We know each other better than anybody,” he shared. “People have talked about, ‘Do we stay together because it’s a brand?’ Of course not. We stay together because we love each other, because we have four amazing children … Do you go through tough times? Of course. That’s part of relationships. It’s part of marriages.”

July 2019: Victoria and David Celebrate Their 20th Wedding Anniversary

After denying divorce rumors for years, the spouses took to social media to share sweet tributes to each other on the special day. “20 years today. I love you so much,” Victoria’s message, which was alongside a slideshow of photos, read.

April 2022: Victoria and David’s Son Brooklyn Gets Married

The stylish mother and father showed up to the ceremony and reception looking incredible as they watched Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz exchange vows and celebrate. She wore a metallic silver sleeveless gown while he wore a classic tux.

September 2023: David Gets a Hand Tattoo in Honor of Victoria

The ink reads Victoria’s Spice Girl name, “Posh.”  It was placed on the middle finger of his left hand, and he shared photos from the tattoo session to Instagram.

October 2023: Victoria Admits She & David Went Through a Difficult Time in 2003

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In the Netflix documentary series, Beckham, which is based on David’s life, there are a series of interviews with the couple and their family. In one, Victoria talked about rumors of David’s alleged infidelity and how it became ” the hardest period” in their marriage.

“It was the hardest period because it felt like the world was against us,” she explained, calling the experience a “nightmare.” “Here’s the thing — we were against each other if I’m being completely honest.”

“You know, up until Madrid sometimes it felt like us against everybody else, but we were together, we were connected, we had each other,” she added. “But when we were in Spain, it didn’t really feel like we had each other either. And that’s sad. I can’t even begin to tell you how hard it was and how it affected me. It was an absolute circus — and everyone loves it when the circus comes to town right? Unless you’re in it.”

David also opened up about the experience. “Victoria is everything to me, to see her hurt was incredibly difficult, but we’re fighters and at that time we needed to fight for each other, we needed to fight for our family,” he said. “And what we had was worth fighting for.”