in 1996, was followed by a string of others including and The group became icons of Cool Britannia - Britain's booming popular culture scene in the late 1990s - and met figures including Nelson Mandela, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, whose bottom Halliwell pinched. The five coined the phrase girl power , a never fully defined concept which encouraged their mainly teenage and pre-teenage female fans to be more assertive. The Spice Girls also spawned a vast range of marketing spin-offs, from their 1997 movie to chocolate, dolls and deodorant.
The band's death knell sounded in 1998, when Halliwell quit, but they only formally split up in 2001. By then, though, all of the group had forged successful, although short-lived, solo careers. Beckham was the only member of the group not to secure a British number one on her own.
But today, she is by far the best known of the group - the British press features almost daily stories, many hostile, about Posh and her husband, who will move clubs from Real Madrid to LA Galaxy in the United States within days. Brown, meanwhile, has also been back in the media limelight recently because of a paternity battle with Hollywood actor Eddie Murphy, who she claims is the father of her baby daughter, Angel. Geri Halliwell, 34, insists the reunion is going to be like a one night stand , and says the girl group want to celebrate the past and are not getting back together for good.
Geri, who left the band in 1998, told BANG Showbiz: It's a bit like a one night stand - it's not forever. We want to celebrate the past, enjoy being together and say thank you to our fans. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and I've got the golden ticket!
It's so exciting. It was like I got divorced and now I have fallen in love with my ex-husband again. Victoria, who has three sons with soccer ace David Beckham, insisted: There is a big difference between celebrating the past and getting back together.
We are here to do a tour and that's all. Our priority is our families. We are doing this for our kids so they can see what we do.
We are going to have a huge creche for all the children. I am so excited about this tour - I might get to be the cool one in the family for once! The girl band also said they can't wait to don their famous old outfits again.
Mel B revealed: I will be wearing leopard skin and Geri will have her Union Jack dress on. Mel C added: I want to wear my tracksuit again. I will be going down the market looking for a shell suit.
Hats off to our characters. Victoria insists the band have still retained their old images and their style hasn't changed since they split in 2001. She said: We didn't know what we would all be wearing, but we look the same as we used to.
We still have the same images and they haven't really changed.
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