'I do not want to reconcile with my family,' says Brooklyn Peltz Beckham

The 26-year-old said late Monday that his parents have been controlling narratives in the press about his family and tried to "ruin" his relationship with his wife Nicola Peltz Beckham.

"I do not want to reconcile with my family," he wrote in a post to his 16.2 million Instagram followers, confirming the long-rumoured estrangement between Brooklyn and his mother and father.

"I'm not being controlled, I'm standing up for myself for the first time in my life."

Brooklyn is the eldest son of the former England football captain, David, and Victoria, who shot to fame with the Spice Girls pop group and is now a fashion designer.

David Beckham was recently knighted by King Charles III, becoming "Sir David", and both he and now Lady Victoria have starred in carefully curated Netflix documentaries tracing their stories.

Brooklyn married Nicola, an American actress and the daughter of billionaire businessman Nelson Peltz and former model Claudia Heffner Peltz, in 2022.

Spokespeople for David and Victoria Beckham did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment on their son's statements.

"My parents have been trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding, and it hasn't stopped," Brooklyn Peltz Beckham said.

"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."

Brooklyn went on to allege that his mother "hijacked" his first dance with Nicola on their wedding day and danced "inappropriately on me" in front of hundreds of guests, adding he had never felt more "uncomfortable or humiliated" in his life.

He also alleged that his wife had been "disrespected" by his family and that she was not invited to his father's 50th birthday party.

"My family values public promotion and endorsements above all else. Brand Beckham comes first," he added.

He concluded by saying that he grew up with "overwhelming anxiety", but now he has found "peace".
'Diplomacy' key
Brooklyn's surprise attack on his parents made front-page news in UK tabloids on Tuesday.

His father David did not respond to questions about Brooklyn's accusations during a public appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday.

But when asked by US broadcaster CNBC about children using social media, he said parents should let children "make mistakes".

The former Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder stressed the importance of using social media "for the right reasons".

"I've been able to use my platform and my following, you know, for UNICEF and it's been the biggest tool to make people aware of what's going on around the world for children, and I've tried to do the same, I've tried to do the same with my children, to educate them," he said.

"They make mistakes, children are allowed to make mistakes, that's how they learn. So that's what I try to teach my kids. But you know, you have to sometimes let them make those mistakes as well."

The Beckham family's woes even came up during Tuesday's Downing Street press briefing.

"The prime minister is obviously dealing with a number of other issues at the moment, but I think he's always been clear that diplomacy is very important," Starmer's spokesperson said when asked about the matter.