Standing on stage at Claridge’s in Mayfair, Harper Beckham appeared paralyzed by nerves. Dressed in a custom-made dress from Victoria’s VB label, she was there to present her mother with a prestigious entrepreneurship award on behalf of Harper’s Bazaar magazine at the annual Women of the Year event.
With Dame Jilly Cooper and actress Jodie Comer in the audience, the 13-year-old’s fears were understandable.
“I’m so nervous,” Harper admitted, amid sympathetic coos. ‘Especially since tonight is a school night. Hopefully this won’t get me in trouble,” she added, before praising her mother as someone she “always looked up to.”
“She built a great company from the ground up and showed me the value of hard work. But most of all, she has taught me to always be kind and even though she has a million things to do, she rarely misses school.”
And with that, fifty-year-old Victoria – ‘my wonderful mum’ – stepped onto the stage and received her gong from her daughter.
Dressed in a custom dress from her mother’s VB label, Harper Beckham attended the Harper’s Bazaar Women of the Year event on Tuesday to present the former Spice Girl with an award
Of course, Harper isn’t a total stranger to the spotlight. She appears on the family’s Instagram accounts and is a fixture on the front row of Posh’s fashion shows. She is also often seen cheering on her father David’s Inter Miami CF soccer team in Florida.
But her appearance at the high-profile fashion event undoubtedly marks her debut as a celebrity.
Welcome to Beckhams 2.0, where little Harper will make millions thanks to being the only daughter of Britain’s biggest celebrity brand. It doesn’t hurt that the moment was captured by a camera crew filming for Victoria’s upcoming Netflix documentary, nor that big brother Romeo, 22, took to Instagram to congratulate Harper on her first bona fide solo outing.
In fact, Harper’s appearance mirrors that of her eldest brother Brooklyn in 2013. As a nervous 14-year-old, he accompanied Victoria to the Glamor Magazine Awards where, in David’s absence, she named him her “date” for the night.
Dressed in a smart black suit, but still sporting a baby face, Brooklyn looked equally terrified as the event guests approached him. Today he is a confident influencer, makes millions from endorsement deals and is married to the daughter of a billionaire.
He may have looked like a rabbit in the headlights at the time, but now he’s clearly comfortable in the world of fashion and celebrity.
Harper’s protective father, David, has never been as comfortable with his children being celebrities as their mother
Yesterday, an industry insider mused, “That’s when it all started for Brooklyn, and yes, there are some parallels between him and his little sister now.” Will Harper, the Beckhams’ long-awaited daughter, follow in her brother’s footsteps, or even her mother’s?
It looks very likely. In a video Posh shared with her 33 million Instagram followers last month, Harper confirmed her desire to “create an amazing brand” when she’s older.
That could be in the not-too-distant future, as Victoria has already set up a company called H7B Limited, to go with the teen’s full name, Harper Seven Beckham. H7B also lists the former Spice Girl and a lawyer as directors,
and Victoria will almost certainly take charge of Harper’s social media if she starts using it.
Although sources close to the Beckhams say any use of the company is ‘not imminent’, this week’s awards will no doubt make brands keen to work with her – I’m told some have already been in touch. After all, Harper is one of the most famous 13-year-olds in the country.
An insider said she would be “a dream” for cosmetics companies popular with young girls her age, such as Drunk Elephant or Glossier. But Harper’s protective father David, 49, who was noticeably absent from the awards, has never felt as comfortable with his children being celebrities as their mother. Youngest son Cruz signed with Justin Bieber’s manager Scooter Braun in 2016 at the age of 11 to release a pop record.
Harper’s appearance mirrors that of her eldest brother Brooklyn in 2013. He is pictured with Victoria at the Harper’s Bazaar event in November that year.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn, then 17, got a deal with Penguin Random House to publish What I See – a book about his photography. And Romeo, who was 14 in 2016, had already modeled for Burberry. Victoria has been mocked in the past within their social circle for being a “momager,” the term coined for Kris Jenner, the mother of sisters Kardashian and Jenner. Are the Beckhams on the same page when it comes to their daughter?
Harper and David are said to be “very close.” He has always covered the school run from their £31 million mansion in Holland Park, west London. And I’m told he’s doing his best to protect her from the fame that sometimes annoys him.
“There has always been a fear that because Harper is the only girl, she will have a much higher profile than her big brothers,” says an aide to the Beckhams.
‘She’s a sweet girl and David just wants her to remain innocent for as long as possible. Actually, they just don’t want her to become Paris Hilton,” they added, referring to the socialite reality TV star and scion of the family that founded the Hilton hotel company.
After Harper’s speech Tuesday night, Victoria said, “Being on stage in front of a room full of people is scary and you did it with such poise and grace.”
‘You teach me to see the world with new eyes. And no matter how busy I am, being a mother is the most important job for me.’
I’m told that while Victoria and Harper contributed their speeches, they were written by the fashionista’s publicity team.
What didn’t go unnoticed was that the event was organized by a magazine called Harper.
A source close to the Beckhams said: ‘Victoria is not stupid. You can see what she did there, and you can see why some people still call her the momager.” Only time will tell if she is the best in the business.