Victoria Beckham has broken her silence online since her son Brooklyn’s bombshell statement about his parents earlier this week.
The former Spice Girl, 51, posted on Instagram Stories on Wednesday to mark Emma Bunton’s 50th birthday.
It is the first time Victoria has shared anything publicly since Brooklyn accused her and his father David of being “controlling” throughout his life.
Until now, the fashion designer had remained conspicuously quiet on social media in the wake of the family row.
Instead of addressing the claims, she chose to celebrate her longtime friend and bandmate.
Sharing a black-and-white photograph of herself giving Bunton a piggyback, she wrote: “Happy Birthday @emmaleebunton, I love you so much!!”
She followed it with a second post, a clip of Bunton in the Spice Girls’ 1996 video for Say You’ll Be There, underlining the nostalgia of the moment.
The posts mark the first public message from Victoria since Brooklyn’s six-page statement was shared online on Sunday, in which he said he had been “controlled” by his family and was standing up for himself “for the first time in my life”.
The aspiring chef said he was speaking out to defend his wife, 31, amid what he described as years of tension with the Beckham family.
Brooklyn and Nicola have been at the centre of the rift after reportedly skipping several major family events, including David’s 50th birthday celebrations and his recent knighthood.
In his statement, Brooklyn claimed tensions first emerged around the couple’s April 2022 wedding. He alleged his parents had “endlessly tried” to undermine his relationship, claiming his mother cancelled plans to make Nicola’s wedding dress at the “eleventh hour” and accusing Victoria of hijacking the couple’s first dance, leaving him feeling “embarrassed”.
“In front of our 500 wedding guests, Marc Anthony called me to the stage, where in the schedule was planned to be my romantic dance with my wife but instead my mum was waiting to dance with me instead,” he wrote.
“She danced very inappropriately on me in front of everyone. I've never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life. We wanted to renew our vows so we could create new memories of our wedding day that bring us joy and happiness, not anxiety and embarrassment.”
He also criticised his father, claiming that despite travelling to the UK for Sir David’s birthday, repeated requests to meet beforehand were ignored. Brooklyn said he was eventually offered a meeting on the condition that Nicola was not invited.
Brooklyn further accused his parents of controlling press narratives and prioritising image and endorsements over family relationships, writing: “Brand Beckham comes first.”
He added that since stepping away from his family, his longstanding anxiety had disappeared, and said he and Nicola now wanted “peace, privacy and happiness” away from public manipulation.
READ MORE: Inside Nicola Peltz’s string of falling-outs — from Selena Gomez to her stylist
On Tuesday, David has spoke in public for the first time since the post, speaking about the power — and dangers — of social media while appearing live on CNBC’s Squawk Box.
“I’ve always spoken about social media and the power of social media, for the good and for the bad,” the former England captain said. “What kids can access these days, it can be dangerous.”
Reflecting on his own family, he added: “What I’ve found personally, especially with my kids as well, is using it for the right reasons.”
Beckham went on to highlight how he has used his platform to raise awareness for charitable causes, including his long-standing work with UNICEF.
“I’ve been able to use my platform for my following, for UNICEF — and it has been the biggest tool to make people aware of what’s going on around the world for children,” he said. “I’ve tried to do the same with my children, to educate them.”
