The ongoing and very public rift within one of Britain's most famous families appears to have taken a new turn, with David and Victoria Beckham no longer following their eldest son Brooklyn on Instagram. This digital snub comes amid a prolonged period of estrangement that has seen the couple's relationship with Brooklyn, 26, and his wife, actress Nicola Peltz, 30, grow increasingly strained.
The Roots of the Rift and Recent Escalations
The origins of the family fallout are reported to stem from tensions around the time of Brooklyn and Nicola's lavish 2022 wedding. The situation has only worsened since, with the couple's notable absence from David's star-studded 50th birthday party in May and their silence following news of his knighthood speaking volumes. A recent development that has reportedly been a "dagger in the heart" for Victoria and David is the pair's purchase of a new home in Los Angeles, further cementing their life an ocean away.
While a brief moment of hope emerged when Victoria posted a Christmas stocking for Brooklyn on Instagram, the underlying issues remain. The conflict has often played out through sources in the media, with some labelling Nicola—daughter of billionaire Nelson Peltz—as "spoiled." Friends of the actress have fiercely defended her, telling the Mirror that such claims are "one-sided and false." They pointed to her two-decade career, her humanitarian work requesting wedding donations for Ukraine, and her dog rescue charity, Yogi's House, as evidence of her character.
David's Heartbreaking Confession of Fatherly Fear
Amid the current discord, a poignant revelation from David Beckham himself casts their relationship in a different, more tragic light. In his 2023 Netflix documentary series, Beckham, the football icon opened up about the profound fear he felt for his firstborn son, Brooklyn, following his traumatic red card at the 1998 World Cup.
David described becoming "clinically depressed" after the entire country seemed to turn against him. This period of intense public vitriol coincided with Victoria's pregnancy. When Brooklyn was born in 1999, David was still battling his demons and was consumed by a paralyzing paranoia that someone would harm his baby boy in retaliation against him.
"That night, Brooklyn slept next to Victoria," David recalled. "Victoria was like, 'come and squeeze on the bed with me,' and I said, 'absolutely not.' I'm sleeping with my head against the door because I was paranoid someone was going to steal him." He admitted the moment was meant to be happy, but his overwhelming worry for his son's safety in the hostile climate he faced overshadowed it.
A Feud with No End in Sight
The situation now seems far removed from those early days of protective anxiety. The act of unfollowing on social media, highlighted by Brooklyn's younger brother Cruz, is a modern symbol of a deep familial disconnect. With both sides entrenched and communicating through allies in the press, a reconciliation does not appear imminent.
The contrast between David Beckham's past vulnerability as a new father fearing for his son and the present-day estrangement paints a heartbreaking picture of a family divided. The Beckham family feud continues to captivate public attention, with each new detail, from skipped birthdays to Instagram unfollows, adding another layer to the complex and ongoing saga.
