David and Victoria Beckham have made a rare public gesture toward their son Brooklyn Beckham, sharing birthday tributes despite an ongoing and very public family rift.
On Wednesday, David Beckham posted a pair of Instagram Stories marking Brooklyn’s 27th birthday. The first featured a throwback photograph of David and Victoria in a swimming pool with Brooklyn as a child.
“Happy birthday Bust, we love you x,” he wrote.
David also shared a second image: a black-and-white portrait of himself with Brooklyn, again captioned, “Happy birthday Bust, we love you x.” The nickname “Bust” (or “Buster”) has long been Brooklyn’s childhood nickname, which David also has tattooed on his neck.
Victoria Beckham also acknowledged the milestone on her own Instagram, posting childhood photographs of Brooklyn and writing: “Happy birthday Brooklyn, we love you so much ❤️.”
The posts were notable given the current state of the family’s relationship. Brooklyn has not publicly responded to either message, and reports suggest he no longer follows his parents on Instagram.
It is also unclear whether the family has had any private contact since tensions between them became public earlier this year.
What Sparked Brooklyn Beckham’s Family Fallout?
In January, Brooklyn Beckham addressed months of speculation about friction within the Beckham family by sharing a series of Instagram Stories outlining his perspective.
In the posts, he accused his parents of attempting to interfere in his marriage to actor Nicola Peltz Beckham and criticised what he described as “performative social media posts” about their relationship. He also alleged the family had sought to influence press coverage about the situation.
Brooklyn’s posts also revisited controversies that have circulated since his and Nicola’s lavish 2022 Palm Beach wedding. Among them was the long-discussed question of Nicola’s wedding dress. Early reports suggested she had originally planned to wear a design by Victoria Beckham before eventually choosing a Valentino couture gown.
Nicola later said the decision was due to logistical constraints at Victoria’s atelier rather than a falling out.
Brooklyn also described an uncomfortable moment during the reception, alleging that Victoria interrupted the couple’s first dance and then danced with him in a way he later said made him feel “uncomfortable” and “humiliated.” The wedding’s DJ, Fat Tony, later commented on the moment during a British television appearance, calling the interaction “inappropriate.”
Another claim raised by Brooklyn concerned the commercial rights to his name. He alleged that, in the weeks before his wedding, he was repeatedly asked to sign documents transferring trademark rights to “Brooklyn Beckham” into the broader Beckham brand portfolio. According to Brooklyn, he declined despite being offered financial incentives.
Sources close to the family have disputed that version of events, suggesting the proposal was intended to protect him in the context of wider business arrangements linked to David Beckham’s commercial partnerships.
Neither David nor Victoria publicly addressed the allegations directly at the time. However, shortly afterwards David spoke broadly about social media and family during an interview with CNBC.
“I have always spoken about social media and the power of social media. For the good and for the bad,” he said, adding that his approach with his children has been to encourage them to “use it for the right reasons.” He also remarked that “children are allowed to make mistakes,” a comment widely interpreted as referencing the situation.
Nicola has since shared her own tribute to Brooklyn on Instagram, writing in part: “anyone who knows you loves you.”
For now, Brooklyn has not commented on his parents’ birthday tributes, leaving observers uncertain about whether the public messages signal a thaw in relations or simply a parental gesture amid an unresolved dispute.
