Elton John gave David and Victoria Beckham a rude nickname over their stinginess despite being worth $575M
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: David and Victoria Beckham have not been shown in a flattering light in investigative journalist Tom Bower's new book.
Bower, 77, in his book ‘House of Beckham: Money, Sex and Power’, has offered glimpses into the Beckham family, including their miserliness.
David and Victoria Beckham accused of being stingy
In his book, Bower revealed different instances of stinginess from the Beckhams, who, according to the 2024 UK Sunday Times Rich List are worth a combined $575 million.
The journalist wrote that David and Victoria earned the nickname of the ‘Takums’ after they conveniently “forgot” to tip the crew while holidaying with Elton John on his yacht, per New York Post.
Bower wrote, “Elton would later complain that the ‘Takums’ had forgotten the customary courtesy of tipping the crew. A sum of about $26,733 was expected for one week.”
In another instance, he wrote that the former English soccer player’s alleged extramarital affair with his PA Rebecca Loos came to an end when the woman apparently got disinterested seeing his miserly nature.
The author wrote that while David was playing for Real Madrid in 2004, he was allegedly seeing Loos. Bower claims that Loos, who was initially tight-lipped about their romantic involvement, could not keep their amorous story to herself after seeing David’s stinginess.
A day after she dined with David at the Hard Rock Cafe Madrid, Loos received a note from a waitress who served them at the diner.
As they were dining with SFX sports agency employees on the next day, Beckham received a heartfelt note from the waitress who shared that she survived on tips. The athlete who received $27 million through his transfer to Real Madrid, had, however, miffed her by leaving no tip.
Bower writes, “After reading the note, Beckham was alarmed.”
He further writes, “Give her this,’ he said, handing over a thick wodge of euros.”
This behavior from the soccer legend, however, turned Loos off, who was soon released by the SFX agency. After she was let go, Loos decided to sell her story about her affair with the former Manchester United star.
As another instance of Beckhams’ stinginess, Bower writes that the couple once got annoyed after one of their staffer asked for $10 for a taxi.
Out of all the stories of their skinflintiness, Bower further mentioned that Victoria once noted down the expense claims for Marks & Spencer’s crisps during a shoot.
David, on the other hand, allegedly goes cheap with charities as well. During a UNICEF fundraiser, he allegedly wanted to serve a cheap bottle of warm wine, German Liebfraumilch, which is worth around $3.80 a bottle.
In another instance, during a trip to Cambodia with UNICEF, David allegedly made the organizers upgrade him from his five-star hotel room to a more luxurious resort but refused to pay for his expenses.
Moreover, Bower accuses Beckham of avoiding taxes, writing, “Beckham gave the impression that playing the tax card had become nearly as important in his life as kicking the ball,” per The Guardian.
Victoria Beckham is 'not nervous' about the book
It is evident that Bower’s book is not expected to sing praise for the power couple. Though the book doesn’t show the Beckhams in exactly a flattering light, it has been said that Posh Spice is “not nervous” about the release of the book.
A source shared with Life & Style magazine in May, “Experience tells her she will be highly scrutinized and critiqued within its pages.”
The insider admitted later, “She’s just praying there’s not more to worry about. What other secrets and lies could it reveal?”
