David Beckham gushed that his daughter Harper is ‘growing up’ as he shared a sweet snap with her taken at a pal’s wedding.

The footballer, 48, took to Instagram to share an adorable image of Harper, 12, perched on his lap.

In the image, Harper sported a white satin strapless dress, with David captioning the post: ‘My little girl is growing up, boys get ready @brooklynpeltzbeckham @romeobeckham @cruzbeckham @victoriabeckham good job mama.’

David is no stranger to documenting his close relationship with his youngest child, but has come under fire by some for sharing snaps and videos where he kisses his daughter on the lips.

For many years the Beckhams have sparked widespread discussion over their affections, with David dividing fans by sharing images showing him kissing his daughter – yet he has always remained defiant.

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David Beckham gushed that his daughter Harper is ‘growing up’ as he shared a sweet snap with her taken at a pal’s wedding

The footballer took to Instagram to share an adorable image of Harper perched on his lap

In 2017, David, who is also father to Brooklyn, 24, Romeo, 21, and Cruz, 18, was forced to defend his decision, insisting that he and his wife Victoria are ‘always very affectionate’ towards their brood of four.

The sports star hit back at his critics at the time while taking part in a Facebook Live at the time on his own official page during a trip to Bangkok, where he insisted he kisses all of his children on the lips – aside from his eldest son Brooklyn.

While many had branded previous images of their kissing ‘beautiful’ and a depiction of the ‘close bond’ he has with Harper, David has also been hit with a barrage of negative comments as others claimed the post had been ‘disgusting’.

Baffled by the strong reaction it received, David addressed his photo with Harper and said: ‘I kiss all my kids on the lips. Brooklyn maybe not…

‘Brooklyn [was then] 18, so he might find that a little strange, but I’m very affectionate with the kids. It’s how I was brought up – and Victoria – and it’s how we are with our children.’

The former England captain continued: ‘We want to show our kids love and we protect them, look after them and support them.’

Gushing about his role as a father, David added: ‘Having children is the most special thing in the world.’

Like David, Victoria has previously shared photos of herself kissing Harper while the duo were taking a dip in the pool together during a holiday in 2017.

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David is no stranger to documenting his close relationship with his youngest child , but has come under fire by some for sharing snaps and videos where he kisses his daughter on the lips

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In 2022, David again shared an image showing him kissing then-10-year-old Harper on the lips, after which he was faced criticism

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It comes after David and his wife Victoria enjoyed an Easter Weekend break on their luxurious yacht in Miam with their family

Both the fashion designer and the former England star took to their Instagrams to share glimpses into their fun-filled holiday extravaganza.

And Victoria ended the slew of posts with a loved-up video of her cosying up to her husband as they sped along the Atlantic.

The both sang along to the Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton duet, Islands in the Stream, in a nod to the famous ending of their Netflix series.

Nicola, 29, her husband Brooklyn, 25, joined Victoria and David for the getaway, along with the youngest Beckham kids, Cruz, 19, and Harper, 12.

Despite Romeo, 21, not joining the family for the festivities, Victoria shouted out her fourth child, writing: ‘We love and miss you @romeobeckham!!’