The once unbreakable bond between football icon David Beckham and his eldest son Brooklyn appears to have fractured, evolving into one of the most public and discussed celebrity family rifts of 2025. What was once a relationship showcased at football matches and red-carpet events is now defined by social media snubs, missed milestones, and a very public block.
A Rift Played Out Online
The situation reached a new peak in mid-December 2025, when Brooklyn Beckham, now 26, blocked his parents David and Victoria, as well as his brother Cruz, on Instagram. This move effectively cut off a primary channel of public communication within the famously public family. The action was clarified by younger brother Cruz, who stated on his Instagram story that their parents "would never unfollow their son" and confirmed they had "woke up blocked."
This digital estrangement capped off a year where Brooklyn's absence from key family events became glaringly obvious. He was notably missing from his father's lavish 50th birthday celebrations in May 2025. Reports suggested the absence was linked to disagreements involving party arrangements and his brother Romeo's girlfriend, who is also his ex. The rift deepened in November when Brooklyn and his wife, actress Nicola Peltz Beckham, did not attend David's knighthood ceremony at Windsor Castle, a significant honour for the former England captain.
Timeline of Tension: From Wedding to Separate Holidays
While the feud has dominated headlines in 2025, insiders trace the origins of the strain back to Brooklyn's marriage to Nicola Peltz in 2022. Rumours swirled at the time of disagreements between Victoria Beckham and Nicola over wedding plans, though neither side has ever fully addressed the speculation publicly.
The consequences of this tension became a pattern of absence. Throughout the year, Brooklyn's social media feeds showed a conspicuous lack of birthday tributes to his parents and no recognition of events like Mother's Day, even as he posted about other relatives. The separation was physically underscored during the 2025 festive season. While the Beckham clan gathered for a traditional Christmas in the Cotswolds, Brooklyn and Nicola celebrated with her family in the United States. His social media was filled with affectionate posts of his wife, including a Christmas Eve picture captioned "My everything x," a stark contrast to the family-oriented posts from his parents' home.
Olive Branches and Ongoing Estrangement
Despite the very public distance, there have been subtle gestures interpreted as attempts at reconciliation. In December, David Beckham posted a nostalgic throwback photo of himself with a young Brooklyn, celebrating an MLS title win, with the caption "Licence to cry." Observers saw this as a potential digital olive branch. Furthermore, David and Victoria's social media activity occasionally showed signs of goodwill, such as Victoria sharing an image of family stockings that included Brooklyn's name.
However, any hope for a quick reconciliation was dampened by David's own year-end recap on Instagram. In a post reflecting on a memorable 2025, which included his 50th, his knighthood, and an MLS win, he featured photos with his daughter Harper and sons Romeo and Cruz, but Brooklyn was conspicuously absent from the carousel of images. The block on Instagram also reportedly remains in place, with no immediate family members following each other on the platform, leaving Brooklyn's feed dedicated to his life with Nicola.
The Beckham family rift, playing out through missed events and social media actions, has transformed a private matter into a very public saga, leaving fans wondering if and when the once-close father and son will find their way back to each other.
