David Beckham has wished his wife Victoria a happy 50th birthday with a tribute featuring rare throwback snaps of the former Spice Girl.

“As you head into this birthday you should look back and be proud of what you have accomplished, achieved and what you have built – Posh Spice, business woman and, of course, marrying an England captain,” he wrote.

“But your biggest success are your children; you guide them, love them and teach them … They love you beyond words, we all love you so much.”

He signed off with “50 and fit” and “I am being honest” – a jokey reference to a widely shared snippet from the couple’s 2023 Netflix series.

The fashion designer, who found fame in 1990s girl group the Spice Girls, also received online messages from her children – Brooklyn, Cruz and Romeo – as well as her old bandmates Emma Bunton, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Horner.

Horner marked Beckham’s milestone birthday by sharing a series of photos of them through the years to her Instagram.

It was her first social media post since husband Christian faced allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” as a Formula One team principal.

Bunton, 48, also known as Baby Spice, also marked the occasion with a video that included clips and photos from her and Victoria’s time in the group.

“Happy birthday Victoria Beckham! 50 and bossing it!” she wrote.

Mel C, otherwise known as Sporty Spice, said she was proud of what the pair had achieved as she posted a selection of photos and videos.

“How did we get here? 50 bloody years old!” she said.

“We have shared so many adventures together from dancing in a church hall in Woking to dancing on top of black cabs at the Olympics!!!”

Mel B, known as Scary Spice in the girl group, also wished Victoria a happy birthday and said: “Hope you have the best day.”

Ahead of her birthday, Victoria acknowledged her looming “milestone” and added that she was grateful for the “unconditional love and support” of husband David.

“As I get ready to step into 50 (in heels, of course!), I feel so incredibly blessed to have reached this milestone,” she wrote.

“Blessed, but also accomplished and deeply content. Not just of where I am as a woman, but of how far my fashion and beauty brands have come.”

She said her “passion had always been to dream big, then dream even bigger!”.

“I believe that you can be many things. A pop star, a mother, a wife, a designer,” she wrote.

“Believe in yourself first – everyone else will follow.”

Beckham also said she was driven by supporting the women around her.

“My ambition was always to empower women and make them feel like the best version of themselves,” she wrote.

Thursday’s birthday wishes followed an announcement that Harper Collins will publish a story about the couple, known as Posh and Becks, titled The House Of Beckham: Money, Sex And Power, written by former BBC Panorama reporter Tom Bower.

-with AAP