Victoria Beckham says her children should ‘behave appropriately’ after Brooklyn feud

Brooklyn Peltz Beckham (right) has had no contact with his parents or his siblings for more than a year. Photo / Getty Images

Lady Beckham has stressed the importance of her children behaving “appropriately” amid a family feud with her son.

The Spice Girl-turned-fashion designer, 51, said it was “really important” that her daughter, Harper, “works hard” and was “very appropriate”.

Describing her daughter, who is the most private of her four children, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Beckham said: “She’s very sweet, she’s very kind, she works hard, and she’s also very appropriate, which I think is really important as well.”

Her remarks come after Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, her eldest son, accused his mother of dancing “inappropriately” with him at his wedding to Nicola Peltz, the daughter of a billionaire businessman, in 2022.

In an incendiary Instagram post earlier this year, Peltz Beckham, who has had no contact with his parents or siblings for more than a year, said of the incident: “In front of our 500 wedding guests, Marc Anthony [the pop singer] called me to the stage, which in the schedule was planned to be my romantic dance with my wife but instead my mum was waiting to dance with me instead.

“She danced very inappropriately on me in front of everyone. I’ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life.”

Asked about the statement and ensuing fallout, Beckham said that she and her husband, Sir David Beckham, the former footballer, were “trying to do the best we can” in parenting.

“Being a parent of young adult children and adult children, gosh, I mean, it’s very different from having little children,” she added.

It marked her first statement following her son’s public remarks in January, which garnered headlines around the world.

He accused Beckham in particular of trying to sabotage his relationship with Peltz, 31, an actress and the daughter of Nelson Peltz, a high-profile Wall Street investor.

“My parents have been trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding, and it hasn’t stopped,” Peltz Beckham claimed, alleging that his mother “cancelled making Nicola’s dress in the eleventh hour”.

While Beckham did not address any of the direct claims her son made, she told the WSJ that both parents “love our children so much”.

“We’ve always tried to be the best parents that we can be,” she said, adding, “And you know, we’ve been in the public eye for more than 30 years right now, and all we’ve ever tried to do is protect our children and love our children. And you know, that’s all I really want to say about it.”

Elsewhere, she said the negative press about her family did not affect her fashion business, explaining that the products are bought because they are “really good,” not because they are synonymous with her.

However, she did admit that being in the Spice Girls taught her “so much about building a brand”, adding, “For me, it’s about creating an illusion”.

One of the claims that Peltz Beckham levelled against his parents was that they put “Brand Beckham” above all else, while purporting to have a “perfect family”.

“The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into,” he said in the Instagram post, adding that it has given him “overwhelming anxiety” all his life.

Discussing the impact being in the public spotlight has had on her and David’s respective families in the 90s and 2000s, Lady Beckham said: “I wouldn’t say it comes with guilt, I’d say that there was a lot of adjusting from my mum and dad, when all of a sudden there were paparazzi outside their house.

“We’ve really taken our families on this ride with us.”

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