Brooklyn Beckham, David Beckham & Victoria Beckham

Brooklyn Beckham breaks silence on family rift

January 20, 2026 Oliver Obel

Brooklyn Beckham has publicly confirmed that he does not intend to repair his relationship with his parents, David and Victoria Beckham, ending months of speculation about a family rift that has largely played out away from the spotlight.

In a lengthy statement posted on Instagram on Monday, the 26-year-old said he was speaking out after years of remaining silent, despite what he described as ongoing media briefings about his private life.

“I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private,” Brooklyn wrote, adding that he felt he had little choice but to respond to “lies that have been printed.”

Absence before explanation

For months, Brooklyn’s distance from his family has been most visible through what he did not attend. He missed his father’s 50th birthday celebrations, a family fishing trip and David Beckham’s recent knighthood ceremony. He also spent Christmas in the United States with his wife, Nicola Peltz, and her family, rather than with the Beckhams in the UK.

British outlets including The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph have previously reported that tensions within the family emerged around the time of Brooklyn and Nicola’s wedding in 2022, with disagreements continuing largely behind closed doors.

Allegations of control and image management

In his statement, Brooklyn accused his parents of exerting long-term control over his life and prioritising public presentation over private relationships. He described growing up surrounded by carefully staged family appearances and said that, in his view, public image often came before personal boundaries.

He also alleged that private disputes were repeatedly fed to the press, a pattern he said ultimately pushed him to address the situation publicly for the first time.

Wedding disputes resurface

Much of Brooklyn’s account centred on his wedding. He claimed that Victoria Beckham withdrew from designing Nicola Peltz’s wedding dress shortly before the ceremony, despite earlier plans for her to do so.

Brooklyn also alleged that, in the weeks leading up to the wedding, he was pressured to sign an agreement relating to the commercial use of his name — something he said would have affected his wife and future children. He wrote that his refusal marked a turning point in how his parents treated him.

“My parents have been trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding,” he said.

Legal involvement and failed reconciliation

Several UK media outlets have reported that the dispute later escalated into legal correspondence exchanged through law firms Schillings, acting for Brooklyn, and Harbottle & Lewis, which has represented David and Victoria Beckham.

Brooklyn said attempts to spend private time with his father were declined unless they took place at large public events, and that he was later excluded altogether when his family travelled to Los Angeles.

Drawing a line

Addressing speculation about his marriage, Brooklyn rejected claims that Nicola Peltz controls him, calling that narrative “completely backwards.”

“I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life,” he wrote, adding that stepping away from his family had eased anxiety he had lived with for years.

He ended the statement by saying that he and his wife want a future shaped by “peace, privacy and happiness,” rather than by public image or media expectations.

Sources: Brooklyn Beckham Instagram statement, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph.