In the fallout amid the Beckham family drama, one extremely awkward moment between Nicola Peltz, her husband Brooklyn and her in-laws has gone viral.
Brooklyn, 26, spoke out for the first time on Monday night, acknowledging the feud between him and his parents, Sir David and Victoria Beckham, after years of speculation.
In a series of bombshell posts on his Instagram Stories, the Beckhams’ eldest son said that he did not wish to reconcile with his family – which also incudes younger siblings Romeo, Cruz and Harper – and claimed that his 31-year-old wife had been ‘consistently disrespected’ by his relatives.
Among his allegations, the former photographer accused his family of ‘bribery’ and ‘controlling’ him and alleged his parents have been ‘trying endlessly to ruin [his] relationship since before [his] wedding, and it hasn’t stopped.’
Following Brooklyn publicly confirming the estrangement and sharing shocking details as to why – which include that his mother allegedly ‘hijacked’ his first dance with Nicola at their wedding – an uncomfortable moment caught by cameras in 2023 has resurfaced.
A video from the premiere of Sir David’s Netflix documentary Beckham in October of that year has started doing the rounds on social media, which shows Brooklyn trying to include his wife in a family photo on the red carpet.
Footage shows Brooklyn in a dark suit and white shirt standing next to his parents as they pose for photographers, before reaching out of shot to bring his wife into the family fold, moving closer to Victoria as he holds his arm around Nicola’s waist on the other side.
The family shuffle up to accommodate her but there is no other acknowledgement, with former Spice Girl Victoria continuing to pose for the camera as Nicola, clad in a burgundy belted leather dress, stands on the end of the line, keeping her expression impassive as pictures are taken.
However, this exchange has taken on new meaning after Brooklyn alleged that his parents ‘controlled narratives in the press about our family’ and claimed: ‘The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into.’
‘I’m having anxiety watching this myself,’ commented Sehr Amjad Ismail under the video, while others observed how ‘painful’ it was to watch.
‘What an uncomfortable family photo,’ added Debbie Tunstall, with the tension around the family members also clocked by people suggesting you could ‘cut the atmosphere with a knife’.
Brooklyn and actress Nicola tied the knot at her family estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on April 9, 2022, in front of star-studded guests after first sparking dating rumours in October 2019.
But ahead of the couple’s happy day, reports surfaced that drama was afoot, with former Spice Girl turned fashion designer Victoria having been ‘confirmed’ to design the bride’s gown – but Nicola was seen to wear Valentino instead.
While the family played down any rumours of a rift in the ensuing months, Nicola and Brooklyn were last pictured with the Beckham clan in December 2024, and last year the internal drama became difficult to conceal with the young couple – who live in the States – a no-show at both Sir David’s glitzy 50th birthday bash and his knighthood at Windsor Castle.
Brooklyn Beckham's explosive statement in full
‘I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private. Unfortunately, my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed.
‘I do not want to reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.
‘For my entire life, my parents have controlled narratives in the press about our family. The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into. Recently, I have seen with my own eyes the lengths that they’ll go through to place countless lies in the media, mostly at the expense of innocent people, to preserve their own facade. But I believe the truth always comes out.
‘My parents have been trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding, and it hasn’t stopped. My mum cancelled making Nicola’s dress in the eleventh hour despite how excited she was to wear her design, forcing her to urgently find a new dress. Weeks before our big day, my parents repeatedly pressured and attempted to bribe me into signing away the rights to my name, which would have affected me, my wife, and our future children. They were adamant on me signing before my wedding date because then the terms of the deal would be initiated. My holdout affected the payday, and they have never treated me the same since.
‘During the wedding planning, my mum went so far as to call me “evil” because Nicola and I chose to include my Nanny Sandra, and Nicola’s Naunni at our table, because they both didn’t have their husbands. Both of our parents had their own tables equally adjacent to ours.
‘The night before our wedding, members of my family told me that Nicola was “not blood” and “not family”. Since the moment I started standing up for myself with my family, I’ve received endless attacks from my parents, both privately and publicly, that were sent to the press on their orders.
‘Even my brothers were sent to attack me on social media, before they ultimately blocked me out of nowhere this last Summer.
‘My mum hijacked my first dance with my wife, which had been planned weeks in advance to a romantic love song. In front of our 500 wedding guests, Marc Anthony called me to the stage, where in the schedule was planned to be my romantic dance with my wife but instead my mum was waiting to dance with me instead.
‘She danced very inappropriately on me in front of everyone, I’ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life. We wanted to renew our vows so we could create new memories of our wedding day that bring us joy and happiness, not anxiety and embarrassment.
‘My wife has been consistently disrespected by my family, no matter how hard we’ve tried to come together as one. My mum has repeatedly invited women from my past into our lives in ways that were clearly intended to make us both uncomfortable.
‘Despite this, we still travelled to London for my dad’s birthday and were rejected for a week as we waited in our hotel room trying to plan quality time with him. He refused all of our attempts, unless it was at his big birthday party with a hundred guests and cameras at every corner.
‘When he finally agreed to see me, it was under the condition that Nicola wasn’t invited. It was a slap in the face. Later, when my family travelled to LA, they refused to see me at all.
‘My family values public promotion and endorsements above all else. Brand Beckham comes first. Family “love” is decided by how much you post on social media, or how quickly you drop everything to show up and pose for a family photo opp, even if it’s at the expense of our professional obligations. We’ve gone out of our way to show up and support at every fashion show, every party, and every press activity to show our “perfect family”. But the one time my wife asked for my mum’s support to save displaced dogs during the LA fires, my mum refused.
‘The narrative that my wife controls me is completely backwards, I have been controlled by my parents for most my life. I grew up with overwhelming anxiety. For the first time in my life since stepping away from my family, that anxiety has disappeared. I wake up every morning grateful for the life I chose, and have found peace and relief.
‘My wife and I do not want a life shaped by image, press or manipulation. All we want [is] peace, privacy, and happiness for us and our future family.’
Brooklyn has now alleged his mother cancelled making Nicola’s wedding dress at the ‘eleventh hour’ but said that he and Nicola were still trying to build bridges with his parents last year, travelling to the UK for Sir David’s birthday.
However, he claimed repeated requests to see him beforehand were ignored and ‘when he finally agreed to see me, it was under the condition that Nicola wasn’t invited’.
Brooklyn also hit out, claiming that his family ‘values public promotion and endorsements above all else’.
‘My wife and I do not want a life shaped by image, press or manipulation. All we want [is] peace, privacy, and happiness for us and our future family,’ he insisted.
His father addressed his kids’ use of social media just hours later, live on air on Tuesday, when he appeared on CNBC’s financial program Squawk Box and was asked about the topic.
‘I have always spoken about social media and the power of social media… For the good and for the bad.
‘What kids can access these days, it can be dangerous. But what I have found personally, especially with my kids as well, use it for the right reasons,’ Sir David began.
‘I’ve been able to use my platform for my following, for UNICEF. And it has been the biggest tool to make people aware of what’s going on around the world for children.’
Moving onto more personal territory, he continued: ‘And I have tried to do the same with my children, to educate them.
‘They make mistakes, but children are allowed to make mistakes. That is how they learn. That is what I try to teach my kids, you sometimes have to let them make those mistakes as well.’
He and Victoria have yet to make any further – or direct – comment on their son’s posts yet.
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