Speaking to CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the 50-year-old former England captain addressed the influence of social media and parenting, stressing the importance of learning through failure.
“I have always spoken about social media and the power of social media, for the good and for the bad,” Beckham said. “It can be dangerous, but children are allowed to make mistakes. That is how they learn.”
The comments came shortly after Brooklyn, 26, published an 821-word Instagram statement declaring he did not want to reconcile with his parents, David and Victoria Beckham. He claimed they had attempted to control media narratives around his life and said he was “standing up for himself for the first time”.
None of the Beckham family has directly responded to Brooklyn’s statement. David Beckham declined to answer questions from reporters in Davos, walking away when asked if he had a message for his son.
Even Sir Keir Starmer was asked about the family rift, though Downing Street downplayed any intervention, saying the prime minister remained focused on global diplomatic issues.
Wedding Dispute and Conflicting Accounts
Brooklyn’s statement reignited controversy surrounding his £3 million wedding to Nicola Peltz in 2022. He alleged that his mother pulled out of designing Peltz’s wedding dress at the “11th hour” and described feeling “humiliated” during what he claimed was an inappropriate interruption of his first dance.
However, multiple guest accounts and reports, including one from Vogue, contradict Brooklyn’s version of events. Fashion journalist Derek Blasberg, who attended the wedding, wrote that Brooklyn himself invited his mother on stage during Marc Anthony’s live performance of I Need to Know.
Guests also stated that the official first dance between Brooklyn and Peltz had already taken place earlier to Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling in Love.
Due to a strict no-phones policy at the wedding, no video evidence of the disputed moment exists.
Brand Beckham and Trademark Dispute
Brooklyn further alleged that his parents prioritised “Brand Beckham” over family relationships, claiming they pressured him to sign away the rights to his name ahead of his wedding.
Since 2016, Victoria Beckham has held trademarks for all four of her children’s names. The trademark for Brooklyn Beckham’s name is due to expire later this year, potentially allowing him and Nicola Peltz to establish a Beckham-Peltz brand.
PR expert Mark Borkowski said the expiry could pose a serious threat to the Beckham commercial empire, estimated to be worth £500 million, according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List.
“If another powerful Beckham brand emerges, it risks eroding the dominance of the original,” Borkowski said, pointing to the financial strength of the Peltz family in the US.
Brooklyn concluded his statement by saying that since distancing himself from his family, his long-standing anxiety had disappeared.
“All we want is peace, privacy and happiness for us and our future family,” he said.
