Victoria Beckham was thrilled to learn she would receive a New Year Order of the British Empire breached official protocol by making news of the honour public.
If only Posh Spice took such a close interest in her financial affairs.
It has been revealed that her fashion label, Victoria Beckham Ltd, has been formally warned that it could be closed down for failing to file its accounts on time for the third year running.
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The business, which she set up in 2008, was served with a ‘notice of compulsory strike-off’ by Companies House on December 6.
A photo posted by Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) on Dec 22, 2016 at 1:52pm PST
‘Unless cause is shown to the contrary,’ the letter said, ‘Victoria Beckham Limited will be struck off the register and the company will be dissolved,’ by February 5.
It then informed Mrs Beckham and her fellow directors that the company, which enjoyed a turnover of more than R 574 million in 2014, and all its property would then ‘belong to the Crown’.
This would be acutely embarrassing when Victoria meets the wearer of the Crown to collect her OBE, which she is due to receive in the Queen’s New Year Honours.
A photo posted by Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) on Dec 1, 2016 at 9:50pm PST
The 42 year old designer’s shame will be heightened by the fact it’s not just Victoria Beckham Ltd that is due to be closed. Its parent company Beckham Brand Holdings Ltd was also served with a strike off notice, on December 13.
That business, established in 2014 with her former England captain husband, David, as a director, had a turnover of more than R 869 million that year. The Beckhams are on holiday in the Maldives, from where Victoria posted a photo online yesterday of their five year old daughter, Harper, looking over the ocean as the weather turned.
A photo posted by Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) on Dec 28, 2016 at 11:05pm PST
Appearing to pay tribute to actress Debbie Reynolds, who died on Wednesday, Victoria wrote next to the snap: ‘Singing in the rain.’
Despite the R 574 million turn-over of Victoria Beckham Ltd, it registered a profit of only R 20 million.
The business scraped into the black thanks to help from her husband, without which the company would have made a near R 67 million loss. A spokesman for the Beckhams declines to comment.
Regram @brooklynbeckham X ❤️ VB
A photo posted by Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) on Oct 1, 2016 at 7:56am PDT
However, a friend of the couple insists that it is merely an administrative problem. The friend says the accounts for both companies have been audited and signed off by their boards.
‘They have been sent to Companies House, but I understand that there is a backlog,’ the friend says, insisting: ‘There are no financial problems. ‘This late filing has not impacted the business in any way.’