Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, the eldest son of former footballer David Beckham and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, said he no longer wants to reconcile with his family. In his statement, he accused his "controlling" parents of trying to ruin his marriage and said he did not want to reconcile with them, for the first time publicly exposing his family's feud.
"I wake up every morning grateful for the life I chose, and I have found peace and relief," he said. "But you know, sometimes you also have to let them make those mistakes."
The rift between Brooklyn and his family resembles the split between Britain's Prince Harry and the royal family, with similar accusations of dysfunctional relationships and anonymous reports to the press. Prince Harry said last year that he would "love to reconcile" with his family. Brooklyn, however, made it clear that he did not want to fix things.
"I don't want to reconcile with my family. They don't control me, I'm defending myself for the first time in my life," he stated. He assured that the anxiety he had suffered his entire life had disappeared since he distanced himself from his family. He accused his parents of years of control, public pressure, and media manipulation.
"Uncomfortable or humiliated"
In one of the most damaging accusations, he said his mother, former "Spice Girl" and fashion designer Victoria, snatched his first dance with his wife at his wedding.
"She danced very inappropriately on top of me in front of everyone," he said on Instagram. "I have never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life."
Brooklyn's post was a grenade thrown at the "Beckham brand," the family's multi-million dollar business whose origins trace back to his father, the football star who debuted with Manchester United at 17 in 1992. David Beckham solidified his position in the British establishment last year when, at 50, he was granted a knighthood for his contribution to sport and charitable causes.
With the English club, he won six league titles, two FA Cups, and the Champions League before playing for Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain. He was also captain of the England national team, for which he played 115 matches.
His 1999 marriage to Victoria Adams, "Posh Spice" of the Spice Girls, united football with pop music to create "Posh and Becks," a celebrity couple whose appeal to the tabloids was only rivaled by the British royal family.
The couple, who have four children—Brooklyn's younger brothers Romeo and Cruz, and his sister Harper Seven—have expanded their brand to encompass sports, fashion, sponsorships, and media.
In an interview with CNBC in Davos, during a general debate on the risks of social media, David Beckham said he had tried to educate his children about the online world. "Kids are allowed to make mistakes, that's how they learn. That's what I try to teach my children," he said.
Brooklyn does not want to make peace
Reports of tension between Brooklyn and his parents began shortly after he married actress Nicola Peltz, daughter of American billionaire Nelson Peltz, in 2022. Brooklyn said that for years he had done "everything possible" to keep the matter private, but that now he had no choice but to "tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been published." He said his parents had been "constantly trying to ruin my relationship since before my wedding" and had pressured him to cede the rights to his name, a measure to which he had refused.
