The Beckham dynasty, born of pop and football royalty, have prompted fevered speculation of Succession-style feuding over recent months.
So did it all come to a head at family patriarch David Beckham’s hotly anticipated 50th birthday party in London yesterday?
Daddy Beckham already kicked off the festivities in Florida with a party at Cipriani Downton Miami on March 30, attended by the likes of Lionel Messi and Tom Brady.
Then he celebrated his half century in on Wednesday with a family black tie bash at his £10 million Cotswold home. Photos shared on Instagram showed David and Victoria Beckham’s nephew Finlay went swimming in his tuxedo.
Sons Brooklyn, 26 and Romeo, 22 — the thought-to-be-feuding brothers — are said to have been in attendance, according to reports in the Mail, although no photos have emerged online.
David’s actual birthday is May 2, and yesterday’s celebration was rumoured to involve an intimate lunch at Core by Clare Smyth, a three-Michelin starred restaurant in Notting Hill. Smyth trained under Gordon Ramsay, and her restaurant has previously been awarded the title of London’s best restaurant.
Brooklyn was reportedly on the guest list, but there’s no sign yet that he attended.
The Beckham backstory
Stories about a break between brothers Brooklyn and Romeo began floating around in early April, centred on the news that Romeo began dating London-born DJ Kim Turnbull some time around December 2024.
Brooklyn and Kim used to run in the same crowd, but TMZ reported that the older brother is worried whether she has the “right intentions” in dating his younger brother.
Younger brother Cruz Beckham, 20, appears to be playing the peacemaker role. He recently shut down an Instagram commenter who claimed that Brooklyn and Kim had previously been romantically involved, stating “Brooklyn and Kim never dated.”
The evidence for a rift, anonymous sources aside? Brooklyn and his wife Nicola Peltz-Beckham, 30, have been notably absent from various family events that Romeo and Kim have attended.
They didn’t make it to Victoria’s show at Paris Fashion Week in March — but Romeo took Kim as his date.
Brooklyn and Nicola also missed Victoria’s 51st birthday party on April 17, which was held on the family’s superyacht in Miami. But this was because the couple were at Coachella, so maybe it was a diary clash rather than a snub?
Most of the rumours about a falling out chez Beckham has come from speculation about the family’s online interactions.
None of the family publicly acknowledged Brooklyn and Nicola’s wedding anniversary on April 9. Brooklyn didn’t publicly wish his mum Victoria a happy birthday. The rest of the clan regularly congratulate each other about major milestones on social media.
Brooklyn did not wish his dad happy 50th birthday on social media, for the first time ever. Romeo, however, shared a family photo and called his father his “role model”.
Brooklyn in London
As well as a four-year age gap, the Beckham brothers lead different lives. Brooklyn, an aspiring chef, lives with Nicola, who is pursuing an acting career, at their marital home in LA. The couple are joined at the hip and never spend a night apart from each other.
Romeo, meanwhile, still lives at home in London with mum and dad — aka Posh and Becks. He originally followed his dad into a football career, but quit to take after his mum and get into fashion. Not beating the nepo baby allegations, then.
There’s also some historic tension in the family, as Victoria reportedly had a disagreement about her daughter-in-laws wedding dress — custom Valentino — for their 2022 nuptials. Nicola did wear Victoria Beckham for her engagement photos, though.
Nicola and Brooklyn touched down in London earlier this week, sharing photos of the Union Jack flags hanging over Regent’s Street. They were also pictured kissing at a Soho restaurant. The capital holds a lot of romantic memories for the pair, who first said “I love you” at Claridge’s.
Signs point to the pair attending Davids 50th birthday lunch, then, but all is quiet on the couple’s social media front.
A feud for the ages, then? Or the eldest sibling looking to distance himself a little from the rest of the famous family? Maybe he feels it’s just a bit cringe to be posting his parents online.
David, however, has no qualms about social media mushiness. “My biggest accomplishment is and will always be my family,” he captioned a recent post. “My wife and best friend of 28 years and my beautiful children Brooklyn , Romeo , Cruz & Harper you are the reason I get out of bed each day thank you for making me smile and thank you for making me a better man,” he added.
'I love you all so much and thank you for making today so special for me... You are my world.'
Aww.
