The last time David and Victoria Beckham attended the Met Gala was in 2014, when they showcased optic-white tailoring for the “Charles James: Beyond Fashion”-themed red carpet. And while the couple was once again absent from this year’s proceedings, a convenient replacement arrived in their place for the 2026 Met Gala: their middle child, Romeo, who is both a former footballer and a rising force within the fashion industry.

It was the 23-year-old’s first appearance on the Met steps—and it felt right on time. Since making an almost clandestine catwalk debut in face-obscuring sunglasses at Balenciaga’s spring/summer 2025 show under Demna, Romeo has become a regular fixture at fashion weeks over the past 18 months. There he was in a metal mesh vest at Versace’s fall/winter 2025 presentation, as well as in a series of leather-heavy looks at H&M’s LFW show, and Willy Chavarria and Burberry’s fall/winter 2026 runways.

“My first Met is a special moment for me, so I’ll be taking it all in and appreciating every detail,” Romeo says, noting that he’s already established a few habits when getting ready for the high-profile events that are increasingly a feature of his diary. “I’ll always have football highlights on while I’m getting ready, then switch over to music to set the tone for the evening.” And though the Met Gala may be new terrain, the spectacle itself is not. “I’ve always loved seeing how people interpret the dress codes–it’s incredible how varied and individual each look can be,” he continues, adding that he’s drawn to “more understated looks that still feel powerful”. Among his favorites: Pharrell Williams’s 2025 flared tailoring (“I’ve always loved a flare”) and A$AP Rocky in a kilt over denim in 2023 (“that was sick”).

It was under the Burberry banner that Romeo climbed the steps this evening alongside Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in a (yes, “understated”) black grain-de-poudre wool suit. “It feels very considered and personal,” he says. “I always tend to go for double-breasted suits, so Daniel [Lee] took a Burberry one from my own wardrobe as the starting point and reworked it into something custom, with leather detailing to make it feel modern and special.” Those plongé leather peaked lapels–worn with a black plongé leather shirt, tie and embroidered scarf–offered a discreet, on-theme nod (given the evening’s Fashion Is Art brief) to the provocative photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, who famously trained his lens on New York’s underground fetish and BDSM scene. “His imagery has had such a strong influence across both art and fashion—you can see that reflected here.” The result? “A super-slick look, which I love.”

All in all, it was something of a full circle moment for Romeo, who made his modeling debut as a 12-year-old in Burberry’s spring/summer 2013 campaign with Cara Delevingne and Edie Campbell, and later featured in the brand’s 2014 and 2015 Christmas ads. “I have such strong memories of that first job,” he says. “So to be here, at my first Met Gala, with Burberry–and representing a British brand–makes it all the more meaningful.”

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