Did your toes curl as ferociously as mine did when you read Brooklyn Beckham’s soul-shrivelling attack on his parents, Posh and Becks? I’d kept my distance from this family quarrel. Until now. To be honest, I didn’t really care that much and anyway, a bit of fraughtness can crop up in the best-run families.
I had thought that the months of speculative headlines and social media posts since Brooklyn declined to attend his dad’s 50th birthday bash were... well, purely par for the course.
A high-profile family in the internet age. Had a bit of a row. Bound to be a bit of scandal-lite sensation and garish gossip online. Comes with the territory. And the wealth. It’ll all blow over.
In a lengthy Instagram post this week, 26-year-old Brooklyn pulled no punches. It was truly excruciating. Most toe-curling of all was his account of his wedding day to billionaire’s daughter Nicola Peltz. He said that he has “never felt more uncomfortable and humiliated”. Why? Because of his mother, Victoria. Brooklyn said she “hijacked” the traditional first dance with his wife at their wedding reception.
It “had been planned weeks in advance to a romantic song.
“She [Victoria] danced very inappropriately on me in front of everyone. I’ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life.”
Aargh! If this is true (and there’s been no denial from the parents) what was Victoria THINKING? This was the bride’s moment, not the groom’s mother’s!
Brooklyn alleged that this was just one example of a lifetime of “controlling” behaviour by Posh and Becks. “My family values public promotion and endorsement above all else. Brand Beckham comes first. Family ‘love’ is decided by how much you post on social media.” He said, in effect, he’s now well out of it and never wants to see them again.
I hope he doesn’t mean that – or will come to reassess things. We don’t pick our parents. But they ARE our parents, and the reason that we’re alive. However Brooklyn’s parents may have behaved, permanent estrangement is a terrible, terrible punishment.
