Those who overheard the two young brothers on that flight to the World Cup in Germany back in 2006 couldn’t help but be touched by the tender affection between them.
Romeo Beckham, then just three, was sobbing as he travelled to watch his father captain England for the tournament.
His upset prompted his older sibling, Brooklyn, to quickly wrap his arm around him and, in an attempt to comfort him, say: ‘Don’t cry Romeo, our dad is David Beckham.’
With just three years between them, this was just one of many moments where the two brothers displayed a sweet closeness – bringing their devoted parents huge pride.
Today, sadly, that brotherly bond is in tatters. So pronounced is the schism between the two oldest Beckham children that those who know the family fear that – like his rift with his parents – Brooklyn’s fallout with Romeo may be beyond repair.
I can reveal that the siblings’ feud is by no means new. Rather, it has been going on for several years, dating back to 2022 when Brooklyn’s now wife Nicola Peltz took against Romeo’s former girlfriend, Mia Regan.
The two brothers, pictured on either side of their youngest brother Cruz, are said to be contrasting characters – Brooklyn, right, is a romantic dreamer, while ambitious Romeo, left, has his parents’ get-up-and-go
Sources tell me that in the run up to her wedding, Nicola refused to speak to Mia, who had then been dating Romeo for three years. Then, on the day of their £3 million nuptials in Florida in April 2022, she completely ignored Mia, despite Romeo being the best man, along with their younger brother, Cruz.
The wider Beckham family found Nicola’s behaviour ‘absolutely baffling’, while Romeo was enraged that his girlfriend was treated with such disdain.
Some close to the family believe Nicola’s bad behaviour was down to her desiring all the attention on her big day. She believed that Mia – a model with chiselled cheekbones and a perfect pout – potentially threatened that.
‘Brooklyn and Romeo have been fighting for a significant amount of time,’ said the source who is familiar with both sides. ‘They do not get on. It has been so difficult for David and Victoria.
‘They were once inseparable, their childhood was all about doing things together and when Cruz and Harper came along they were the doting big brothers. While Brooklyn has fallen out with his parents and things are not at all good there, his fallout with Romeo has become just hideous.
‘Things have been terrible for a long time. It has upset their mum and dad so much. All they ever wanted was a big, happy family.’
The two brothers are said to be contrasting characters – Brooklyn a romantic dreamer, while ambitious Romeo has his parents’ get-up-and-go.
It’s perhaps easy to see why Romeo – bright at school, good at sports and always attracting the prettiest girls – might provoke jealousy. And in the absence of his big brother in the family unit, Romeo has now assumed responsibilities of the eldest sibling.
Indeed, it was he who stepped up to make a speech at his father’s recent 50th birthday party in Miami, as well as at Core restaurant in Notting Hill – something that Brooklyn would have done in the past.
Keenly aware of their differing natures, and like all good parents, David and Victoria have done their best to remain neutral. That said, it’s well known that they adored Mia, who dated Romeo for five years, and it’s painfully apparent their relationship with Nicola is difficult.
Romeo Beckham and Mia Regan pictured together. It’s well known that David and Victoria adored Mia, who dated Romeo for five years, and it’s painfully apparent their relationship with Nicola is difficult
Sources close to the family have labelled Nicola a ‘narcissist’ who they claim is controlling towards their son. The Beckhams, it’s said, are worried for their sensitive son’s wellbeing – especially as he has distanced himself from certain friends, including Gordon Ramsay’s son, Jack.
‘The wedding was the turning point for Romeo. He is a lovely, lovely lad who found all the drama unnecessary,’ said the source. ‘He was a major part of the wedding and, as his date, Mia was also in the wedding party. Yet Nicola didn’t want to know. This upset Romeo, of course, but now we are seeing the subsequent fallout with his parents, too.
‘Brooklyn always takes Nicola’s side and that has had terrible ramifications for relations with his brother.
‘Imagine being Mia, who is just a normal girl, at this wedding which was fully controlled by Nicola and her very wealthy family. It must have been so uncomfortable for her and Romeo saw that.’
Associates of both sides have noted there are obvious comparisons with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s fallout with the King. Now, it seems that just like Harry and William, Brooklyn and Romeo have become bitter adversaries.
In order to avoid talk of a feud, Nicola and Mia attended an Yves Saint Laurent party during Paris Fashion Week in September 2023 while they were both in the French capital to support Victoria. Later in the year they were seen at the premiere of David’s Netflix documentary, Beckham, though Nicola barely cracked a smile.
But when Mia and Romeo amicably split in February last year, relations between the brothers remained troubled. In a pattern of behaviour some believe is rather telling, Nicola then sought to blame Romeo’s current girlfriend Kim Turnbull as the cause of their no-shows for David’s birthday.
According to claims shared by Nicola’s circle to American website TMZ, Brooklyn previously dated Kim, meaning he and Nicola found it uncomfortable to be around her. However, the truth is Kim dated Brooklyn’s friend Rocco Ritchie, son of Madonna and Guy Ritchie, when the three attended Hampstead Fine Arts College in north London.
This is something Cruz, 20, pointed out in a now deleted Instagram post, which spelt out where his loyalties lie. ‘Romeo and Cruz are still very close,’ confirmed a friend of the family.
After Brooklyn and Nicola snubbed all of David’s 50th birthday celebrations earlier this month, the private family fallout could no longer be contained.
The extent of the rift was once again made clear when Brooklyn and Nicola, 30, jetted to London from their home in Los Angeles on Monday morning for a joint fashion photoshoot that took place less than two miles away from the Beckham family home. He didn’t even tell David and Victoria they were in the country.
Little wonder, then, that emotions are heightened. I’m told David and Victoria are swinging between rage and devastation. Sadly, they have now accepted their estrangement from Brooklyn and any imminent reconciliation is not expected.
For David, it’s notable that the situation with Brooklyn is a case of history repeating itself. David did not speak to his father Ted for two years after he wrote a book about his footballer son in 2005 that infuriated him. This period was, say friends, incredibly tough for family-minded David.
Then, in 2007, when Ted had a heart attack, David dropped everything and jumped on a plane to London to see his father in hospital. Ted had an operation for a blocked artery and made a full recovery, which became the precursor to father and son mending their relationship.
‘Ted was a huge supporter of his son when he was an ambitious young boy who was determined to become a footballer,’ the family friend said.
‘The book broke David but they got through it. David is the ultimate peacemaker – he and Victoria accept that these things happen in families.
‘They just hope that one day they can get their son back – like Ted got David back.’
