David Beckham has said parents must let their children “make mistakes” just a day after his son Brooklyn publicly aired his grievances with his family in an Instagram post that drew global media attention.
Brooklyn, 26, made a host of claims regarding the former England footballer and his wife, the singer and fashion designer Victoria Beckham.
In his social media statement, Brooklyn said his parents had been controlling narratives in the press about his family and tried to “ruin” his relationship with his wife, Nicola Peltz Beckham.
“I do not want to reconcile with my family,” he wrote. “I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.
“For my entire life, my parents have controlled narratives in the press about our family. The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into.
“Recently, I have seen with my own eyes the lengths that they’ll go through to place countless lies in the media, mostly at the expense of innocent people, to preserve their own facade. But I believe the truth always comes out.”
Nicola, who is the daughter of the American billionaire businessman Nelson Peltz and former model Claudia Heffner Peltz, married Brooklyn in 2022. He is the eldest child of the Beckhams, who have two other sons, Cruz and Romeo, and one daughter, Harper.
Speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Tuesday, David Beckham did not address the dispute directly but talked circuitously about his children and the dangers of social media.
He said: “I’ve been able to use my platform and my following for Unicef and it’s been the biggest tool to make people aware of what’s going on around the world for children.
“I’ve tried to do the same. I’ve tried to do the same with my children to educate them. They make mistakes. Children are allowed to make mistakes. That’s how they learn.
“So that’s what I try to teach my kids. But you know, you have to sometimes let them make those mistakes as well.”
Brooklyn made specific allegations involving his parents’ behaviour on his wedding day in the post.
He said: “My parents have been trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding, and it hasn’t stopped.
“My mum cancelled making Nicola’s dress in the 11th hour despite how excited she was to wear her design, forcing her to urgently find a new dress.
“Weeks before our big day, my parents repeatedly pressured and attempted to bribe me into signing away the rights to my name, which would have affected me, my wife and our future children.
“They were adamant on me signing before my wedding date because then the terms of the deal would be initiated. My holdout affected the payday and they have never treated me the same since.
“During the wedding planning, my mum went so far as to call me ‘evil’ because Nicola and I chose to include my Nanny Sandra, and Nicola’s Nanny at our table, because they both didn’t have their husbands. Both of our parents had their own tables equally adjacent to ours.”
The statement continued: “Since the moment I started standing up for myself with my family, I’ve received endless attacks from my parents, both privately and publicly, that were sent to the press on their orders.
“Even my brothers were sent to attack me on social media, before they ultimately blocked me out of nowhere this last summer.”
Brooklyn went on to claim that his mother “hijacked” his first dance with Nicola and danced “inappropriately on me” in front of their guests, adding that he had never felt more “uncomfortable or humiliated” in his life.
He also alleged that his wife had been “disrespected” by his family and was not invited to his father’s 50th birthday party.
Brooklyn continued: “My family values public promotion and endorsements above all else. Brand Beckham comes first. Family ‘love’ is decided 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.
“The narrative that my wife controls me is completely backwards. I have been controlled by my parents for most of my life.
“I grew up with overwhelming anxiety. For the first time in my life, since stepping away from my family, that anxiety has disappeared. I wake up every morning grateful for the life I chose and have found peace and relief.
“My wife and I do not want a life shaped by image, press or manipulation. All we want is peace, privacy and happiness for us and our future family.”
Brooklyn has previously dabbled in photography and cooking, having released a book of snapshots called What I See in 2017 and a hot sauce brand, Cloud23, in 2024. He has also posted videos of his cooking to social media.
David and Victoria Beckham have been contacted for comment.
