Brand Beckham won't be affected by Brooklyn's comments says People Magazine

The Beckham’s family feud won’t damage their brand say People Magazine, but the US publication says seeing such a “horrible rift” is “tugging” at their “readers heartstrings”.

In a post on Instagram Stories on Monday (January 19), 26-year-old Brooklyn, the eldest of David and Victoria Beckham’s four children, said his parents had placed "countless lies" in the media to preserve the facade of a perfect family when in fact the family's "Brand Beckham" business always came first.

David Beckham, attending the Davos meeting of global elites on Tuesday, declined to comment to reporters about Brooklyn's allegations.

Reports of tension between Brooklyn and his parents started soon after he wed actor Nicola Peltz, the daughter of U.S. billionaire businessman Nelson Peltz, in 2022.

In the post Brooklyn said for years he had made "every effort" to keep the matter private, but he now had no choice but to "tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been published".

"This is kind of a big deal,” said Gillian Telling, senior news reporter at People Magazine.

Reflecting that while Brooklyn and Nicola are not “household names” in the States, “the bigger deal for the American audience is that there's such a horrible rift between mother and father and son and daughter-in-law,” she said.

“I think (audiences are) saddened by it. I think they also are shocked that this is happening and… also like, come on, guys, what are you fighting over? It all seems sort of petty.”

Brooklyn's post tossed a possible grenade into "Brand Beckham", the multi-million-pound family business that traces its origin back to his soccer star father making his debut for Manchester United at the age of 17 in 1992.

David Beckham cemented his position in the British establishment last year when he was awarded a knighthood at the age of 50 for his contribution to sport and charitable causes.

The couple, who have four children -- Brooklyn's younger brothers Romeo and Cruz and sister Harper Seven -- have expanded their reach including Victoria Beckham’s own fashion brand which launched in 2008.

Despite Brooklyn’s allegations though, Telling doesn’t think it will hurt the family brand.

“I don't think it's going to hurt Victoria’s.. design business. I don't think it's going to hurt …Inter Miami or whatever that David's got going on. I really don't think it's going to hurt the brand at all. I think what it's just going to do is hurt them personally.” She said.

“Brooklyn feels very hurt by them. So it's something that I think is just more of a personal matter."

Brooklyn and Nicola live in Beverly Hills in California and are both finding their way professionally, Telling said.

“She's an actress and she's getting more and more work. And I think it's probably annoying to her that this sort of drama of this family drama is… clouding her actual career.”

 “Brooklyn right now, he's got his hot sauce. I think he's figuring out sort of next steps, what he wants to do,” she said.

As for the future who knows how long the rift might last and she reckons opinion is split “50/50 on whether (people) sort of feel bad for Brooklyn or kind of think he's being a bit whiny."

The rift between Brooklyn and his family echoes a split between Britain's Prince Harry and the Royal family, with similar accusations of dysfunctional relationships and anonymous briefings to the press.

Harry said last year he would "love reconciliation" with his family. Brooklyn, however, made clear he was not looking to mend any fences.

"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," he said in his Instagram post.

Production: Sarah Mills/Reuters