Brooklyn Beckham has opted not to spend Christmas Day with his family this year, marking the nail in the coffin for the Beckham family's ongoing rift. It is yet another missed milestone for David and Victoria's eldest child, who is celebrating with his wife, Nicola Peltz, in LA instead.
It appears the Beckham family are at a stalemate at a time of year when being surrounded by loved ones feels most important. As David and Victoria took to social media to share a defiant video of themselves dancing to lyrics about having "nothing to be sorry for", Brooklyn, 26, shared a nonchalant snapshot from his festive plans with Nicola, 30, and her family.
The aspiring chef was playing tennis with US player Reilly Opelka and Nicola's brother, Bradley, showing off a snippet from their intense match on his Instagram account. Nicola, meanwhile, is yet to mark the day on her social media accounts.
Familial relations seem to have soured to the point where Beckham fans have been telling Brooklyn to "call his parents" in the comments sections of his recent social media posts. The chef and entrepreneur, who has remained steadfastly silent - like the rest of his family - on the details and status of the fallout, may be feeling the effects of the estrangement increasingly deeply after Nicola, 30, posted about "love and loss" on Thanksgiving.
A different family Christmas
It is understood that Brooklyn spent Christmas with his wife Nicola's family at their home in Palm Beach, Florida. It comes shortly after Cruz claimed that he and his parents, David and Victoria, woke up to find they had been blocked on Instagram by Brooklyn. After reports emerged that their parents had unfollowed their eldest son, Cruz set the record straight, writing on his Stories: "NOT TRUE. My mum and dad would never unfollow their son… Let's get the facts right. They woke up blocked… as did I."
"It's just very sad and impossible to understand," a source close to the Beckhams told HELLO! of how David and Victoria are grappling with the growing family rift.
Meanwhile, it is believed that the rest of the Beckhams - including brothers Romeo, 23, and Cruz, 20, as well as 14-year-old Harper - marked the festive season almost 5,000 miles away in the UK, likely at their country home in the Cotswolds.
Last year, while the couple were pictured spending Christmas Day in matching pyjamas with her family, they appeared to be on good terms with his parents and siblings. David, 50, posted a video on Instagram of himself carving a turkey and captioned the clip "we miss you @brooklynpeltzbeckham @nicolaannepeltzbeckham" to which his daughter-in-law replied "we love you all so much".
It appears that Brooklyn and Nicola then paid a visit to his family on Boxing Day at their Miami abode. They posed for a photo with his parents and siblings in front of a huge tree in a photo shared on Instagram by Victoria, 51, who wrote, "being together for the holidays makes me so happy xxxx I love you all so much".
A year of missed milestones
However, relations had appeared to sour by May when Brooklyn and Nicola missed David’s 50th birthday celebrations, despite being reported as being in London at the time. Then, in August, the couple renewed their vows in New York without any of his family present.
While Brooklyn and Nicola were featured in Victoria’s Netflix documentary - in the background at her Paris Fashion Week 2024 show - they weren't at the London premiere in October. Neither were they in attendance in November when David was knighted by King Charles.
In recent weeks, members of the Beckham family appear to have extended olive branches towards Brooklyn. Most recently, these include on the beach in Brazil, and David, who also posted an old snap of his firstborn as a child following his MLS Cup Final win.
The real reason for feud
There has been extensive speculation about the details behind the bitter family fallout, which has played out so publicly. However, sources have told HELLO! that Nicola is the cause of tension between Brooklyn and his parents, which can be traced back to their 2022 wedding.
An insider said: "From the minute Nicola came into the family, she hasn’t shown what Victoria would say is respect towards them." They continued: "Tensions rose at their wedding and that situation has continued; Victoria and Nicola don’t really get along."
Then, at a family gathering earlier this year, Victoria brought up the subject of grandchildren with her daughter-in-law. "[She] was talking about babies, saying that she was a young mum and that it might be a good idea to get going. Nicola didn’t take well to that," the source added.