Broken Beckhams: inside the bitter feud that is tearing the family apart

News24

16-05-2025

They've always been so proud of their tight-knit family and for years the bond was plain to see.
Holiday snaps, fashion show front rows, concerts, sports matches, cosy hangouts at home, dinners with famous friends – David and Victoria revelled in it all with their four kids.
But now the unthinkable has happened – a schism at the heart of the Beckham clan is tearing them apart.
Posh and Becks are said to be all but ostracised from their eldest child, Brooklyn (26), and his American wife, Nicola Peltz (30).
For months the couple, who wed in a lavish ceremony at the home of Nicola's uber-wealthy parents in Florida in 2022, have shunned every family occasion.
In April Brooklyn even ignored his mother's 51st birthday, failing to post anything on social media as he's done in the past.
While the Beckhams celebrated on a superyacht in Miami, Brooklyn and Nicola lived it up at the Coachella music festival in the Colorado desert.
But the tipping point came when the pair snubbed David's 50th birthday celebrations in the UK in early May – despite being in London at the time.
They were invited to all the festivities, which included a party at the Beckhams' Cotswolds home and a trip to Paris.
They also shunned the grand finale – a black-tie dinner at top London restaurant Core in Notting Hill with a selection of guests that included Tom Cruise, Eva Longoria and Gordon Ramsey.
Instead they posted photos of themselves lying on a couch canoodling while in London.
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Instead Brooklyn and Nicola, who kept everyone guessing about whether they'd attend the dinner until the last moment, were on a plane heading back to their home in Los Angeles.
It's a very sad situation. The rift is nearing the point of no return
An insider
'Brooklyn and Nicola never go to Beckham family events anymore or visit David and Victoria.'
And Brooklyn, who used to FaceTime his parents every day, now won't take his mom and dad's calls.
At the heart of the trouble appears to be Nicola, who's been accused of 'controlling' her husband and having a major influence in the cold-shouldering of his family.
The birthday snub was like a dagger to David's heart, a friend says. 'It was appalling and his family just can't deal with the nonsense anymore.
'It just seems like at every event – from weddings to birthdays to holidays – there's a drama. They're over it.'
Brooklyn and Nicola haven't been pictured with Posh or Becks or Brooklyn's siblings, Romeo (22), Cruz (20) and Harper (13), since Christmas.
'But I guess no one could believe they'd actually ignore David's 50th,' the friend says.
In a telling sign, Posh failed to tag her eldest son in party pics she posted afterwards.
'The rift has become a real problem and it's not something they can keep private because of the way the family uses social media,' another source says. 'Things have escalated in recent months.'
Initial reports put the feud down to Romeo's new girlfriend, Kim Turnbull (24), a rumoured ex-girlfriend of Brooklyn's.
Nicola and Brooklyn were said to be worried about Kim's 'true intentions' and announced they wouldn't be attending any Beckham family event if she was there.
Kim, a London DJ, dated Madonna's son Rocco Ritchie for two years before splitting up in 2017, after which she was romantically linked to Brooklyn.
But as the speculation flew, Cruz went on social media to declare 'Brooklyn never dated Kim' – a statement backed up by another Beckham family friend.
'Brooklyn was close to Kim but it was only because she was dating Rocco and they all hung out in a tight-knit friendship group. They were close but there was never any romance. Kim is just a smokescreen for the real issue.
'This is nothing to do with Kim and is all about Nicola.'
The blonde actress, whose parents are billionaire businessman and entrepreneur Nelson Peltz and glamorous former model Claudia, has been accused of using the Beckhams to propel her profile – much as she did in 2017 when she dated Anwar Hadid, brother of supermodels Bella and Gigi and son of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Yolanda.
Insiders say the relationship between Nicola and Posh never really recovered after the fallout over Nicola's wedding dress three years ago – even if the pair did appear to have kissed and made up in social media posts.
In the run-up to the nuptials Nicola and Posh reportedly fell out over the bride's decision to wear a Valentino gown and not a one designed by Victoria's label, VB.
Posh apparently also felt put out that she wasn't involved in any aspect of the wedding planning. 'Nicola's attitude towards the Beckhams was already evident at the wedding,' a source says. 'She was rude to Victoria and she shunned other members of the Beckham family. It was terribly upsetting for David and Victoria. Things were difficult at the time but they're devastating now.
'After the wedding the Beckhams realised it wasn't going to be easy being part of Nicola's super-rich family. The Beckham gang adore Brooklyn and wanted to be part of it his son's new life. There's been a lot of concern for him ever since the wedding.'
Nicola, say insiders, has a habit of starting an argument with Brooklyn before any of his family events which prevents him from going.
'It seems Nicola doesn't like Brooklyn spending any time with the Beckhams full stop. She's focused on her own family, who Brooklyn is said to be close to.'
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On the weekend of Becks' party, Nicola shared a post about her two late grandmothers, Bunny and Gina, calling them her 'best friends' and that she misses them 'so much'.
She was especially close to Bunny, who was her maid of honour, and was devastated when she died last year.
Others say Nicola isn't the baddie and that she's the first girlfriend to stand up to Brooklyn's 'narcissistic' parents. One source told celebrity news site TMZ that David 'berates' Brooklyn over the phone, causing Posh to send Nicola a loving text so there's no proof Becks 'didn't just scream at Brooklyn for an hour'.
Nicola always talks back to them and stands up for Brooklyn
Insider
Nicola has said growing up with six brothers made her confident. 'I never feel like I need approval from a guy – my brothers nailed that into me,' she told Tatler in 2022.
She's also made it clear she has no interest in moving to the UK 'just because I love knowing I am so close to my family'.
Reports that David is hard on his firstborn simply aren't true, family friends say. He and Posh live for their kids and Becks has always been a hands-on dad.
'He and Victoria are having sleepless nights about the situation. Their children are everything to them but Brooklyn isn't talking to them.'
The oldest Beckham boy was also conspicuous by his absence at a boys' fishing trip David treated his sons to in Scotland a few days after his birthday celebrations.
In what seemed to be a sentimental moment, Becks tagged his missing son in a selection of photos he posted of himself with Romeo and Cruz on a boat.
'Fun times in Scotland,' he said. 'Wish you were here @Brooklynpelzbeckham.'
He reportedly invited Brooklyn on the trip months ago when he started planning it, but his son declined.
'Once again David made the best of things and had a great time with Cruz and Romeo,' a source says.
A friend of Becks says the fallout will destroy him if it carries on.
'What he wants most is for his family to be around him, happily getting along. And he adores his boys.'
Romeo too is said to be furious about the drama and apparently isn't on speaking terms with his big brother.
It's really upset Romeo too because Kim is seemingly being used as a reason to deepen the rift
A source
'He's also furious at the suggestion that he would bring an ex-girlfriend girlfriend of Brooklyn into the family when there never was any romance.'
Brooklyn broke his social media silence after David's 50th with a post – not about his father but his new range of hot sauces called Cloud23, which he credited his wife for inspiring.
'I was having a bottle of wine with my wife and she said, 'You like hot sauce, you like design. Why don't you make a hot sauce',' the aspiring chef said.
Brooklyn is passionate about his Cloud23 hot sauce range of sources, which he started in October last year.PHOTO: Instagram/brooklynpelzbeckham
'I didn't really think much about it and then I ordered a bunch of stuff and I watched a quick video on how to make one. I then made the jalapeno one and really liked it and I thought, 'I really want to do something with this'.'
His comments came after Nicola was lambasted by angry fans after her and Brooklyn's no-show at David's milestone event. An Instagram post in which she promotes suncream was hijacked with users telling her she should be ashamed of herself for missing his big day.
However, a source says Brooklyn and Nicola made overtures to Posh and Becks and wanted to see them privately to try to repair the relationship when they were in London before the party.
But the Beckhams turned it down. 'The appear to have no interest in finding a solution that works for everyone.'
Yet a source in Posh and Becks' camp says the pair 'just want to treat everyone the same'.
'They just tell the whole family, 'Here's the time, here's the date'. It's not that complicated. Everyone else is okay with that but Brooklyn isn't playing like that.'
A longstanding Beckham family friend says it's difficult to see how the feud will ever end. 'Nicola has love-bombed Brooklyn since the day they met and has tried to convince him she's all he needs,' the pal told the Daily Mail.
'She's cut him off from his family. If David and Victoria could, they'd go and pick him up now and bring him home. But he's a grown man and can make his own decisions. Of course there's anger that he wasn't at David's birthday dos but at this point they just hope he's okay.'