Beckham couple joins British billionaires' club

London - English football legend David Beckham and his wife Victoria, the former Spice Girl turned fashion designer and businesswoman, saw their fortune double last year. They have now joined the British billionaires' club, according to an annual ranking published on Friday by The Sunday Times.

The couple's fortune is estimated at 1.19 billion pounds (1.59 billion dollars), "thanks to shrewd investments in football; food and beverages; property and fashion," the renowned British newspaper detailed. It noted that the footballer has become the first British sports personality to become a billionaire.

This is a significant increase from a net worth of 500 million pounds a year earlier. The rise is largely due to investments made in recent years by the former England captain in Inter Miami, the US club where star player Lionel Messi extended his contract last year until 2028.

Meanwhile, the Victoria Beckham fashion brand, launched in 2008 and loss-making for a long time, saw its turnover exceed 100 million pounds last year, according to the newspaper.

The Times' annual list, which ranks the 350 wealthiest individuals and families in the UK across all sectors, this year includes Noel and Liam Gallagher. Their combined fortune, estimated at 375 million pounds, was boosted by the Oasis reunion tour.

Thai-British cryptocurrency tycoon Christopher Harborne also enters the list. He recently made headlines in the British press for an undeclared donation of five million pounds to Nigel Farage, the leader of the anti-immigration party Reform UK.

Nik Storonsky, CEO and co-founder of the British online bank Revolut, saw his personal fortune more than double last year to 16.41 billion pounds. The company's valuation soared to 75 billion dollars last year, marking the sharpest rise in the rankings.

The family of Gopi Hinduja, who died last November and owned a conglomerate in finance, energy and tech, remains at the top of the list compiled by The Sunday Times with a fortune of 38 billion pounds.