‘How sharper than a serpent’s tooth is it to have a thankless child!’ Such was the lament of Shakespeare’s King Lear, but he could at least count himself fortunate that his daughters Goneril, Regan and Cordelia did not have Instagram accounts. Brooklyn Beckham, a scion of wealth and privilege, does indeed have such a social media platform – with no fewer than 16.4 million followers, to boot. And last night he decided to tell the world about one of the worst-kept secrets in showbusiness, namely his estrangement from his famous parents David and Victoria.
In a detail as horrifying as it is weirdly fascinating, Brooklyn says his mother ‘danced very inappropriately on me in front of everyone… I’ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life’
While his excoriating series of messages could probably have done with a good copywriter, there was no denying the cold fury that lay behind them. Brooklyn accused his parents of being implacably opposed to the American actress Nicola Peltz, whom he married in 2022 – ‘my parents have been trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding, and it hasn’t stopped’. He also offered the titbits that Victoria pulled out of designing her daughter-in-law’s wedding dress at the last moment and that, on the day itself, she ‘hijacked’ the first dance. In a detail as horrifying as it is weirdly fascinating, Brooklyn says his mother ‘danced very inappropriately on me in front of everyone… I’ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life.’
The mental image of Posh Spice twerking, or worse, on her mortified eldest son on his wedding day is undoubtedly an arresting one, but if this was the most damning revelation then it could probably be overlooked. Proud mothers let loose on the champagne can, and do, embarrass their children on family occasions. The more damaging detail for the Beckham family is Brooklyn’s allegation that ‘my family values public promotion and endorsements above all else. Brand Beckham comes first.’ He went on to say that ‘Family “love” is determined by how much you post on social media, or how quickly you drop everything to show up and pose for a family photo opp, even if it’s at the expense of our professional obligations.’
A cynic might observe that Brooklyn Beckham’s ‘professional obligations’ resemble those of a rich and privileged dilettante rather than a serious Renaissance man. At the age of 26, he has variously embraced careers as a model, a much-mocked photographer – his poorly composed and amateurish pictures in What I See are hardly Lee Miller or Annie Leibovitz – and an equally ridiculed amateur cook. Brooklyn attracted particular opprobrium for a suggestion made last summer on his TikTok channel – ‘Cookin With Brooklyn’ – that using seawater to cook pasta was a good idea. Most would disagree.
However, the issue is less whether this young man is something of a poseur and more if he has a genuine grievance against his parents. After a lengthy period in which amateur celebrity sleuths have been speculating about the Beckham fallout, and why Brooklyn was absent from his father’s investiture as Sir David and his fiftieth birthday celebrations, the secret is now out, in the most humiliatingly public fashion imaginable. Brooklyn stated that ‘I do not want to reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.’ The question now is what happens next.
Brand Beckham will be prevailed upon to make some sort of public statement, and while it is surely tempting simply to say, ‘recollections may vary’, this will not cut it in the world of celebrity, rather than royalty. Many will note the similarities between Brooklyn’s very public estrangement from his family and Prince Harry’s departure from ‘the Firm’ in 2020. In both cases, marriage to an American actress led many to believe that the Englishman had fallen under a powerful, possibly even coercive influence, something that Brooklyn directly addressed when he wrote: ‘The narrative that my wife controls me is completely backwards… I have been controlled by my parents most of my life.’
David and Victoria Beckham have undeniably faced controversy over the course of their long public careers, but a combination of skilful PR and public goodwill towards the pair has seen them weather reputational issues – from accusations of adultery to petulant outbursts at not being given a knighthood – that might have destroyed a lesser dynasty.
This attack, however, is both more damaging and deeply embarrassing. Brooklyn Beckham may have done something that a thousand tabloid journalists, football managers and pop critics have variously failed to do – and that is to cause existential harm to Brand Beckham. The fallout will be both fascinating and horrifying to behold.
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