David Beckham has shared a sweet post on Instagram wishing his wife Victoria a happy anniversary.

Beckham, 48, wrote: “On this day 4.7.99. 24 years and counting. To the best wife, mummy and drinking partner (most of the time). Happy Anniversary, love u so much.”

The wedding of the former Manchester United football player and Spice Girl Victoria Adams took place in Luttrellstown Castle, Ireland, following a two-year relationship.

It was a lavish event complete with crowns, thrones, outfit changes and their friends and family, including their eldest son Brooklyn – now 24 – as the ring bearer. The Beckhams went on to have three more children: Romeo, Cruz and Harper.

Victoria posted a video of the couple cutting their wedding cake on Instagram with the caption: “24 years ago. I love you so much.”

Here are some of their best quotes on marriage and family…

“Love at first sight does exist”

In a letter the mother of four penned to her 18-year-old self for British Vogue in 2017, she spoke about how she met David.

“On boyfriends and lasting love: learn more about football, especially the offside rule,” she wrote. “And yes, love at first sight does exist. It will happen to you in the Manchester United players’ lounge – although you will get a little drunk, so exact details are hazy.”

The couple met during one of David’s games – at that point she said she was “the famous one” – he wasn’t on the first team yet. He asked for her number, and she wrote it on a London to Manchester plane ticket, which he kept as memorabilia.

During a conversation at the Business of Fashion Voices 2022 event, the 49-year-old fashion designer admitted that there have been a number of misconceptions about her wedding. “I think that the media glamourised the wedding much more than it actually was,” Victoria said. It was “actually much more intimate than it looked”.

“I love to have fun. I work very very hard. I take what I do very seriously. I want to be a great wife, a really great mum, but I want to have fun as well. Sometimes my tongue-in-cheek sense of humour does tend to get me in trouble, but the wedding – it wasn’t as huge as everybody made it out [to be],” she explained.

Reflecting on her relationship, she said: “A lot of people at the time alluded to, were we only together to build a brand and I’m like listen, we’ve been married for 25 years now. If I didn’t genuinely love this man — I mean, 25 years is a long, long time.”

“You make it work”

David spoke about what has kept his marriage together during an appearance on Australian talk show The Sunday Project with Lisa Wilkinson in 2018.

“To be married for the amount of time that we have, it’s always hard work, everybody knows that but you make it work. You make difficult situations like travelling away, being away from each other, you make it work.”

“Once you are a parent, you worry”

In her British Vogue letter, Victoria spoke about the lessons she has learnt as a mother and asked whether it’s possible to have it all.

”Children mean that you will be constantly tired and will develop big bags under your eyes. Your children will always come first, but never forget who you are and what you want to achieve. Is it possible to have it all? To be a successful working mother? You will hear this question asked by many women as you grow older.”

She also shared a word of advice about school sports days, and wrote: “Never wear platform heels and flares if you have to take part in the mothers’ race. And never believe another mum when she says she will stick with you at the back of the race. Because she won’t.”