David Beckham has earned tens of millions of dollars from his personal business brand. However, 2024 was not a perfect year as the former football star once again missed out on a knighthood.
Earning tens of millions of USD
On December 30th, DRJB Holdings, the parent company that owns all of the business brands of David Beckham has released its annual financial report. To be clear, the conglomerate comprises David Beckham Ventures Limited, which holds the majority of revenue from the former football star's brand partnerships and licensing, media production company Studio 99, and business company Seven Global LLP.
According to According to The Guardian , David Beckham Brands recorded significant business results for the year. Specifically, DRBJ Holdings reported revenue of $91.2 million (£72.3 million) in 2023, a 2% increase compared to 2022.
The report indicates that David Beckham Ventures Limited's profits increased by 17.9% thanks to its continuously developing partnership with Authentic Brands.
Studio 99 Group's revenue increased to $15 million (£11.9 million) thanks to the benefit of producing and releasing a documentary series about Beckham for Netflix in October 2023.
DRBJ Holdings revealed that its total pre-tax profit surged to $36.2 million (£28.7 million) from $16.2 million (£12.8 million) in 2022.
With its thriving business, DRBJ Holdings paid out $28.5 million (£22.6 million) in dividends to shareholders in 2023. In early 2024, the group paid out an additional $51 million (£40.5 million) in dividends.
The money was divided equally among shareholders according to their shareholdings. After selling part of his business empire to the acquiring group Authentic Brands two years ago, David Beckham now owns 45% of the shares. This means the former football star pocketed approximately $36 million (£28.6 million).
The former player, born in 1975, isn't the only one to have achieved financial success in the Beckham family. In August, his fashion and beauty business also saw gains. Victoria Beckham It overcame the general downturn in the luxury goods industry, with sales increasing by 52% to £89.1 million ($111.8 million) in 2023.
Overall, the combined revenue of the businesses owned by David and Victoria reached over £160 million (nearly $201 million) in 2023.
According to the latest list of the wealthiest people published by the Sunday Times, the Becks have an estimated combined net worth of £455 million (over $571 million).
Unsuitable for the title of knight.
While enjoying a financially successful year, David Beckham once again missed out on the spiritual gift he had longed for for years – a knighthood. The British Royal Family.
According to According to the Daily Mail , David was excluded from the New Year's Honours list because... King Charles Approved. Notably, one of the newest British citizens to be awarded a knighthood is Gareth Southgate, Beckham's former teammate in the England national football team. Southgate earned this honor after leading the Three Lions to the Euro final in Germany in the summer of 2024 as coach.
“This is great news for Gareth and David is happy for him. David knows this isn’t his time. He’s okay with it but you never know what will happen,” the source told. MailOnline .
Previously, many signs indicated that David's dream of being addressed as Sir was about to come true.
Earlier this year, the former football star was appointed ambassador for the British Royal Family's charity, the King's Foundation.
That summer, Sir Rod Stewart also addressed the topic when he and his wife, Penny Lancaster, attended the inaugural King's Foundation Awards in London. The 79-year-old rock star was knighted in 2016.
“Penny and I are honored to be ambassadors for the King’s trust. I am also honored to be knighted. David, your knighthood is coming soon,” Mr. Stewart said.
In early December, the former England captain and his wife, Victoria Beckham, were invited to a state banquet at Buckingham Palace for the first time. They were seen alongside King Charles and Queen Camilla at a reception welcoming the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on his state visit.
As a staunch royalist, the title of knight was like an obsession in David's life. That dream became even stronger after he was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2003.
At least twice, David expressed extreme disappointment at being excluded from the King's list.
In a leaked 2013 email, angered by not being knighted, he lashed out at Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins: “Katherine Jenkins was given an OBE for what? Singing at rugby matches and attending military parades, plus using cocaine. It’s a joke.”
In February 2017, other leaked emails revealed that David called the committee members "ungrateful bastards" and stated he didn't care about being knighted.
At that time, David was disqualified due to allegations of tax evasion. He wasn't cleared until 2021. By the end of the year, David Beckham was embroiled in an endless mess.
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