Brooklyn Beckham: ‘I had no idea our family was famous until I was 13’

His father was the England football captain, his mother was a Spice Girl. Together they went on to form one of the most successful partnerships in the world: Brand Beckham.

But Brooklyn Beckham, eldest son of Victoria and David, claims he had no idea how famous his parents were until he was 13.

Although he grew up in the spotlight, Brooklyn says that, to him, his parents have always been simply mum and dad.

“I didn’t actually know that my parents were big until I was about 13,” he said. “I went to a football game and people were shouting my dad’s name and I was like, ‘What?! Oh my God.’ I don’t look at them like that.”

He now wants to prove himself as a photographer who is “not just doing it because of who my parents are”.

Brooklyn turns 18 next month and said he is likely to celebrate with a quiet pint in the pub with his father.

After turning his back on a career in football, he is now pursuing photography and fashion, and plans to release a book of his pictures, called What I See, in June. He posts much of his content on Instagram, where he has 9.8 million followers.

He told wonderland magazine: “It’s pretty exciting to put my work out there and show people I’m not just doing it because of who my parents are.

"Even now people ask me, ‘Are you gonna follow your dad?’ I want to go in my own direction, kind of my mum’s style, but not really.”

Brooklyn, who was pictured last week with his arm in a sling during a family skiing trip to Whistler, Canada, produced his first campaign in July 2016, for Burberry.

He said: “I can’t believe they asked me to do that. When I was told, I thought it was a joke at first. Then it was amazing, I got to pick the models; being in control of the whole shoot was pretty cool, especially at my age.”

Brooklyn, whose siblings are Romeo, 14, Cruz, 12 today, and five-year-old Harper, now plans to study photography further at university.

Asked if he has a party planned for his 18th birthday, he replied: “I’ll probably go to the pub with my dad. I’ll go with a few of my best mates to the country and stay there for the weekend.”

For the full interview, see Wonderland’s spring issue.