David and Victoria Beckham publicly wish estranged son Brooklyn happy birthday amid family feud
David and Victoria Beckham have publicly wished their estranged son Brooklyn a happy 27th birthday, marking the first public acknowledgment of their eldest child since he made explosive allegations against the family in January.
The soccer legend and former Spice Girl both took to Instagram early Wednesday to share birthday messages. Victoria posted a throwback photo of herself and David in a swimming pool with a young Brooklyn, captioning it: "Happy birthday Brooklyn, we love you so much." She followed with a second black-and-white image, writing, "I love you so much."
David shared the same swimming pool photo on his Instagram Story, writing, "27 Today. Happy Birthday Bust." In a second slide featuring another black-and-white father-son moment, he added, "Love you x."
The public gestures come after months of tension within the Beckham household that spilled into public view in January when Brooklyn posted a series of Instagram Stories criticizing his famous parents.
"I have been silent for years and have made every effort to keep these matters private," Brooklyn wrote at the time, adding, "I do not want to reconcile with my family." He claimed he was "standing up for myself for the first time in my life."
Brooklyn made several allegations, including claims that his mother Victoria canceled plans to design wife Nicola Peltz's wedding gown "in the eleventh hour." He also alleged his parents pressured him to sign away rights to his name and that Victoria "danced very inappropriately" on him during his 2022 wedding reception while singer Marc Anthony performed.
The family rift has been speculated upon since 2022 when fans noticed Peltz did not wear a Victoria Beckham design for the wedding. Brooklyn stopped following his parents on Instagram in December, and David notably left Brooklyn out of his year-end recap post.
In his first public appearance following Brooklyn's posts, David addressed the situation indirectly during a January CNBC interview, saying children "make mistakes" and parents must "sometimes let them make those mistakes."
Representatives for Brooklyn have not responded to requests for comment on his parents' birthday messages.