Sir David Beckham has been pictured tearing up a parking ticket he was issued after a shopping spree in central London.
The recently knighted football ace, 50, was out on Bond Street with wife Victoria, 51, where they indulged in some ostentatious purchases at the nearby Rolex store.
However, the pair had a nasty surprise waiting when they emerged – a parking ticket tucked into the windscreen of their £600,000 Rolls-Royce 4×4.
In footage from the incident recorded by an onlooker, Sir David and Victoria can be seen approaching the car, where the ticket is waiting.
As Victoria climbs into the passenger seat, Sir David reaches across and grabs the offending ticket from the windscreen.
He then climbs into the car and drives off, apparently unfazed by what had just occurred (either that or he just wanted to avoid public embarrassment).
Sir David and Victoria’s shopping trip comes amid their ongoing estrangement from eldest son Brooklyn.
Speculation that Brooklyn, 26, had grown apart from his parents first began when he failed to attend his dad’s milestone birthday party in May last year.
Reports of a rift in the Beckham family continued when Brooklyn then neglected to invite them to his vow renewal to wife Nicola Peltz in August.
Further signs of a family feud included Brooklyn having a tattoo of his mother covered up, and his apparently blocking younger brothers Romeo and Cruz on social media.
Even more questions arose with the release of Victoria’s self-titled Netflix documentary, while his no-show at her fashion show in Paris seemed like another sign that all is not well in the house of Beckham.
A source has now told the Daily Mail, though, that there may yet be hope for reconciliation between the increasingly fractured brood.
According to the outlet, Brooklyn and Nicola have parted ways with their publicist, Matthew Hiltzik.
Hiltzik was a crisis specialist who previously represented high-profile clients such as Justin Bieber, Johnny Depp, and Sacha Baron Cohen.
‘Anyone who knows Hiltzik knows that by hiring him it would have meant he would aggressively pressurise the media not to print anything anti-Nicola or Brooklyn,’ a source said.
‘It is a real statement that she wanted to bullishly lead the narrative.’
With the Beckham-Peltzes having cut ties with Hiltzik after only seven months, this has given fresh hope that things may finally begin to de-escalate.
‘Without that constant briefing war, things may finally cool down,’ a source said of the change.
This, in turn, follows reports that Brooklyn issued his parents a legal notice over the Christmas period.
He appeared to have blocked both parents on social media after Victoria attempted to ‘reach out’ to her son by liking his picture of a chicken dinner on Instagram.
Sir David also seemed to offer an olive branch by sharing an Instagram Story that featured himself and Brooklyn with the caption, ‘I love you all so much’ – a post that was reshared by Victoria with a heart emoji.
According to The Sun, Brooklyn responded with a legal notice stating that any contact must be through the law firm Schillings.
He also rejected claims that he is under the ‘control’ of Nicola, who celebrated her 31st birthday this month.
Of the situation, an insider told The Mail: ‘Brooklyn wants to do anything to make Nicola happy, but this is all getting out of control. I can’t imagine a world where Brooklyn wouldn’t want to see his parents again.’
Meanwhile, a source close to the Beckhams revealed how they miss Brooklyn ‘terribly,’ adding: ‘It’s clear Brooklyn wants to keep Nicola happy, but maybe one day he’ll reach a point where he wants to reconnect with his parents too.
‘Nothing would make David and Victoria happier than that.’
Metro has contacted David Beckham’s representatives for comment.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
