Victoria Beckham is reportedly heartbroken amid a turbulent family rift involving her son Brooklyn and his wife, Nicola Peltz. This tension has been exacerbated by a contentious dispute over trademarking their family name.

On Monday evening, Brooklyn, who has transitioned from aspiring footballer to model, photographer, and now chef, delivered a scathing critique of his family. In a candid revelation, he detailed the reasons behind the disintegration of their once-close relationship.

Though Brooklyn has been vocal about once being a “mama’s boy,” his latest remarks were particularly harsh towards Victoria. His critical comments have reportedly left her feeling deeply upset.

In his statement, Brooklyn leveled surprising accusations, claiming Victoria behaved inappropriately by dancing with him at his wedding in a way he found embarrassing. He also accused her of overshadowing their first dance and backing out of designing Nicola’s wedding dress at the last minute.

While accounts of the wedding day events differ, Brooklyn also alleged that his parents attempted to pressure him into relinquishing the rights to his name. He suggested this would have had significant implications for him, Nicola, and their potential future children.

Now, Daily Mail can reveal that it’s Victoria, 51, who solely owns the trademark to Brooklyn Beckham’s name – which is set to expire this year. 

Documents lodged with the UK’s Intellectual Property Office show that in December 2016, Victoria took out the trademark in her son’s name, but when that expires in December of this year Brooklyn will be free to renew using his own legal team.

The trademark covers classes of goods including cosmetics and aftershaves, clothes, shoes, sportswear, hats, toys, TV shows and music.

Posh also took out trademarks in the names of her three other children.

In his statement, Brooklyn claimed: ‘They were adamant on me signing before my wedding date because when the terms of the deal would be initiated. 

‘My holdout affected the payday, and they have never treated me the same since.’

A source added to Page Six: ‘Before Brooklyn and Nicola were married, Victoria called Brooklyn and said, “Daddy has a very big deal, you need to sign this contract.”‘

An industry insider, however, said the deal with Authentic Brands Group was tied to David selling a majority stake in his brand management company, DB Ventures, for $269 million in 2022, and meant nothing negative for Brooklyn.

‘The agreement that Brooklyn was asked to sign was to protect his rights because his parents have commercial partners who have some rights over the Beckham name, and so it ensures that the kids are carved out of that, of course,’ said a Beckham insider at the time.

‘It’s entirely standard and is to protect the family. Brooklyn chose not to sign the agreement, but it makes no difference, as of course no one would ever restrict his rights.

‘Sadly, by then, Brooklyn had gotten rid of all his own advisers and was only listening to the Peltz lawyers who perhaps either didn’t understand the agreement or were being deliberately obstructive.’

PR agent and Brand expert Mark Borkowski told Daily Mail that Brooklyn’s blistering attack will undoubtedly have had an effect on ‘Brand Beckham’, which was built on ‘unity, warmth and professionalism’. 

Mark explained: ‘This will be an existential crisis for the Beckhams. Even before with all the reports of the feud they made sure they were promoting the family by posting about Cruz’s music gig. 

‘The problem is the Peltz’s are significant and ruthless businesspeople and they’ll be pretty good at exploiting Brooklyn if he wants to do something. 

‘Now they can take an element of his brand and build on it – the same way Prince Harry did using his Windsor label with Meghan Markle. 

‘Brooklyn is now in bed with one of the most powerful businessman in New York and America is a much bigger market for him. 

‘As for the Peltz family, well they wouldn’t want a rogue Beckham brand flying around that they didn’t have control of. 

‘They’re a successful family and they’d be looking at their son-in-law thinking “how can we create something with the Peltz brand”.

‘It’s a horrible family soap opera for the Beckhams and how they recover from this will be an ongoing conversation for sure.’ 

Brand and Culture expert Nick Ede added: ‘Situations like this are far more common than people realise in high-profile families but they’re usually handled privately, not in the public eye or as explosively as this one

‘The Beckham brand has always been both a family and a business. When a name becomes a global commercial asset, legal protections and trademarks are often put in place early on to safeguard future opportunities and avoid third-party exploitation.

Where this becomes emotionally charged is timing and perception. If a conversation around contracts or trademarks happens during a deeply personal moment like a wedding, it can understandably feel overwhelming or misinterpreted particularly if different advisers are giving different interpretations. 

‘What may be intended as protection can feel like pressure when trust and communication break down which this certainly feels like it is.

‘It’s also important to stress that trademark ownership doesn’t equal control over someone’s life or identity it’s about commercial usage in specific categories. These arrangements are usually designed to future-proof the family rather than restrict individual freedom.

‘At this level of wealth, this isn’t about money. Its really about how adult children step out from a powerful family brand while still being emotionally connected to it, both Brooklyn and Nicola are having to do this. 

‘When that transition becomes public, it risks turning a private family disagreement into a narrative about motives and blame which rarely reflects the full reality.

‘Ultimately, this feels less like a calculated business dispute and more like a painful family issue playing out under extraordinary scrutiny.’

It’s not the only trademark row that’s given Brooklyn a headache in recent months. 

Last year, the aspiring chef was forced to abandon his plan to create his own liquor line after pushback by the firm behind German booze brand Beck’s. 

He had planned to expand his new hot sauce line with more food and drink lines and applied to trademark Becks Buns in the US so he could sell beer and spirits.

But the company that makes Beck’s beer challenged it, with Brooklyn then removing ‘beer; distilled spirits; wine; mirin in the nature of Japanese shochu-based mixed liquor’ from his application to avoid going to war with the drinks firm.

The business-savvy Beckhams have long protected the rights to their children’s names, with Victoria famously registering daughter Harper’s name for use in a range of branded products, including make-up, toys and clothing when she was just five years old. 

At the time, an intellectual property expert said it was unprecedented to trademark a child’s name because the move is usually reserved for those who are already celebrities.

Oliver Bray, a partner at international law firm RPC, told Daily Mail: ‘It normally happens when your career is getting going and a lawyer says, “Let’s get some protection in place.”

‘As opposed to the future-proofing which is what Victoria Beckham has done with her children.

‘It may be a sign of the times with social media and the whole way in which celebrities are exploited.

‘In order to give you more levers to control your image, a trademark is an obvious place to go and it might be that society is driving the Beckhams to use these levers to protect their children in this more manipulative world in which we live.

‘But from another point of view, you could call it savvy and looking to the future.’

In 2000, the former England captain registered ‘David Beckham’ as a trademark, while ‘Victoria Beckham’ was trademarked in 2002 as the former Spice Girl embarked on a solo music career.

The Beckham family fortune is now estimated to be around $673 million, however this is dwarfed by the net worth of Nicola’s father Nelson Peltz – which is an estimated $1.6 billion. 

The trademark row was just one of many explosive claims made by Brooklyn during his social media takedown on Monday. 

Yet while Brooklyn mentioned his father and siblings in his lengthy statement, his ire was undoubtedly focused on Victoria, cementing the end of the once close bond between Brooklyn and the Spice Girl – despite him once declaring to be a ‘mama’s boy’. 

A friend of Victoria’s has since told Daily Mail she is ‘devastated’ by the claims, comparing the family break-up to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s falling out with the Royal Family.

The Sussexes and the Peltz Beckhams had dinner together last year and Harry and Meghan were said to be ‘very kind to them both’ and ‘empathetic’ about their family rift. 

‘It’s Harry 2.0’, the insider said, predicting the Beckhams will respond with a ‘recollections may vary’ response like the Queen published post-Megxit.

The source added: ‘‘Brooklyn has probably has had enough of it and doesn’t feel he can move on without going public as all the blame lays firmly at his and Nicola’s feet.

‘We’ve seen in the past two years their concerted effort to create an even more unified brand with knighthood and her document positioning them even higher in society and as a brand and as celebrities.

‘But Brand is all about trust and Brooklyn is eroding that’.

Noting that the Beckhams will be weighing up how to respond, they concluded: ‘We may get a “recollections may vary style response” or they could just brush it under the carpet – but it feels too public and they are too conscious to not try’.

An insider told The Mirror: ‘Victoria is on the floor, shocked to pieces that her son would do this. Everyone is in shock. But Victoria is totally in pieces over this. 

‘But, she is worried, as is David, that this will be the end of Brand Beckham, with the claims of the falseness and pretend relationships; they are worried about what else he is going to come out with.

‘They’re still blaming Nicola, feeling she had put him up to this, and it’s all to do with her; they’re constantly blaming Nicola.’

Indeed it’s a shocking break down in the relations between Brooklyn and his mother, who was once so devoted to Posh that he had two tattoos for her – inking ‘mama’s boy’ across his chest as well as a heart tribute to her on his arm. 

Yet as relations between the pair fell apart, he replaced his two-word inking with a bouquet of flowers in seemingly another tattoo tribute to Nicola, of which he already has more than 70. 

Despite this, Victoria continued trying to reach out to Brooklyn, making a point of including him – and his wife Nicola – in her Netflix docuseries, which was released in October. 

In scenes filmed at Victoria’s September 2024 Paris Fashion Week show, the designer launched into an emotional monologue about her desire to make her family and colleagues proud.

The montage cut between images of Victoria’s collaborators, with Brooklyn and Nicola seen mingling with guests in the background.

Yet Brooklyn failed to acknowledge the touching gesture when asked by a Daily Mail reporter what he thought about Victoria’s documentary. 

The Cookin’ With Brooklyn star was questioned about the show shortly after its release, and despite answering questions about other topics just moments earlier, when he heard Victoria’s name he quickly turned his back and walked away.

Victoria and Brooklyn’s bond was also documented during David’s Netflix series, which was released in 2023. 

In the show, Victoria explained that she relished the bond she had with her eldest son as she struggled with loneliness after relocating to Madrid with Brooklyn and Romeo to follow David in his football career. 

Victoria candidly confessed: ‘If I’m being honest it’s probably the most unhappy I have ever been in my entire life.

‘It wasn’t that I was being unheard, I chose to internalise a lot of it because I was always mindful of the focus that he [David] needed.’

Yet two decades on and it’s Victoria’s relationship with Brooklyn that has taken a hit.  

She attempted to solve matters at Christmas when she shared a snap taken at her mother Jackie’s home. 

Brooklyn’s grandmother suggested she was keen for him to come home over the festive period by hanging his personalised stocking on her fireplace with the rest of her grandchildren’s.

Victoria shared a video of that festive display with the identical red stockings for Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper pinned above the hearth, alongside their numerous cousins.

Yet the olive branch didn’t work and it was reported that Brooklyn wanted his parents to apologise to Nicola.

A source told Daily Mail: ‘There was a long briefing war where it was open season on Nicola. They (David and Victoria) targeted Nicola and thought that they could do so without consequences.

‘You can’t inflict that much pain and damage on two people and then expect to pick up the relationship via a public social media post. The person who caused the pain does not get to decide when they declare it is over.

‘If they want to make up then they need to apologise and acknowledge the pain caused and make changes to show that it is not going to happen again.’

After Brooklyn’s bombshell statement David sidestepped questions about the scandal yet did declare that ‘you have to let your children make mistakes’ in a new interview about social media.

Speaking live on CNBC’s financial program Squawk Box on Tuesday, David said: ‘I have always spoken about social media and the power of social media… For the good and for the bad.

‘What kids can access these days, it can be dangerous. But what I have found personally, especially with my kids as well, use it for the right reasons.

‘I’ve been able to use my platform for my following, for UNICEF. And it has been the biggest tool to make people aware of what’s going on around the world for children.

‘And I have tried to do the same with my children, to educate them.

‘They make mistakes, but children are allowed to make mistakes. That is how they learn. That is what I try to teach my kids, you sometimes have to let them make those mistakes as well.’

Broadcaster Andrew Ross Sorkin asked: There’s a spotlight on you and headlines constantly. From your own mental health, is the UK easier or the US?’

Without directly acknowledging his son, David replied: ‘I’m going to have to sit on the fence, I love living in both places. I love my country I love where I grew up but I always wanted to live in America and I love America… I’m lucky that I get to spend a huge amount of time in both places.’

It’s clear that tensions had been brewing for quite some time. 

After Brooklyn’s statement a video from 2023 began recirculating of Nicola looking uncomfortable at the Beckham Netflix premiere in London. 

Footage shows David and Victoria posing for cameras with Brooklyn next to them.

Brooklyn then reaches out of shot to encourage Nicola to join the group picture before she reluctantly moves in and then appears to shoot Victoria and David a tense glance.

The chef said fractures within the family began during their wedding in April 2022 as he claimed his parents ‘endlessly tried’ to ruin their relationship.

In his statement Brooklyn went as far as to say he has been ‘controlled by a family that values public promotion above all else’ and that since being with Nicola, he has found ‘peace and relief’ after battling crippling anxiety. 

Brooklyn also claimed Victoria, who has her own fashion brand, cancelled making Nicola’s wedding dress at the ‘eleventh hour’ and hijacked their first dance which left him so ’embarrassed’ they decided to renew their vows without his family last year. 

He also hit out at his father, as he said he was in the UK to attend David’s 50th celebrations, but claimed repeated requests to see him beforehand were ignored and  ‘when he finally agreed to see me, it was under the condition that Nicola wasn’t invited’. 

In an impassioned statement, Brooklyn wrote: ‘I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private. 

‘Unfortunately my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed.

‘I do not want to reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.

‘For my entire life, my parents have controlled narratives in the press about our family. 

‘The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into. 

‘Recently, I have seen with my own eyes the lengths that they’ll go through to place countless lies in the media, mostly at the expense of innocent people, to preserve their own facade. But I believe the truth always come out.’

Brooklyn went on to address his wedding to Nicola, claiming there had been repeated attempts to ruin their relationship.

Rumours of tension first emerged after the actress sported a stunning couture Valentino bridal dress, after previous reports she would wear a design from Victoria. 

While Brooklyn posted his statement, Nicola paid tribute to Valentino ​Garavani following his death in Rome on Monday aged 93.

The heiress took to her Instagram Stories to share snaps of the designer.

Brooklyn wrote: ‘My parents have been trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding, and it hasn’t stopped. 

‘My mum cancelled making Nicola’s dress in the eleventh hour despite how excited she was to wear her design, forcing her to urgently find a new dress.’ 

‘Weeks before our big day, my parents repeatedly pressured and attempted to bribe me into signing away the rights to my name, which would have affected me, my wife, and our future children. 

‘They were adamant on me signing before my wedding date because then the terms of the deal would be initiated. 

‘My holdout affected the payday, and they have never treated me the same since. 

‘During the wedding planning, my mum went so far as to call me “evil” because Nicola and I chose to include my Nanny Sandra, and Nicola’s Naunni at our table, because they both didn’t have their husbands. Both of our parents had their own tables equally adjacent to ours.

‘The night before our wedding, members of my family told me that Nicola was “not blood” and “not family.” 

‘Since the moment I started standing up for myself with my family, I’ve received endless attacks from my parents, both privately and publicly, that were sent to the press on their orders. 

‘Even my brothers were sent to attack me on social media, before they ultimately blocked me out of nowhere this last summer.’ 

Cruz previously claimed Brooklyn had blocked his entire family on social media following reports they had unfollowed him. 

‘My mum and dad would never unfollow their son… Let’s get the facts right. They woke up blocked… as did I,’ Cruz wrote. 

Brooklyn went on to talk about his first dance at the wedding with Nicola, which he claimed was hijacked by his mother. 

He said he was ‘so uncomfortable and humiliated’ they decided to renew their vows on their third wedding anniversary.

His family – including brothers Romeo, 23, Cruz, 20, and sister Harper, 14, – were not present to watch him renew his vows in New York’s Westchester County on August 2.

Brooklyn continued: ‘In front of our 500 wedding guests, Marc Anthony called me to the stage, where 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. We wanted to renew our vows so we could create new memories of our wedding day that bring us joy and happiness, not anxiety and embarrassment.’

This claim was then backed up by wedding guest Stavros Agapiou, who insisted they witnessed Victoria’s ‘inappropriate’ dancing.

Agapiou is the partner of British DJ Fat Tony, who was asked to perform at the reception. In an Instagram comment, they wrote: ‘I was there and she did, he’s telling the truth.’

The comment has since been deleted and Stavros instead posted ‘Good on him for finally speaking out!’

In his statement Brooklyn went on to address why they were not present at his father’s 50th birthday party in May last year. 

Victoria pulled out all the stops for David’s big day, starting with a family party at their Cotswolds pile, followed by a 24-hour trip to his favourite vineyard in France, all topped off by a star-studded dinner at a London restaurant. 

While the family celebrated with A-list pals including Tom Cruise and David’s former teammates at three Michelin-star Core in Kensington, west London, the absence of the footballer’s eldest son was glaringly obvious. 

Brooklyn said: ‘My wife has been consistently disrespected by my family, no matter how hard we’ve tried to come together as one. My mum has repeatedly invited women from my past into our lives in ways that were clearly intended to make us both uncomfortable.

‘Despite this, we still travelled to London for my dad’s birthday and were rejected for a week as we waited in our hotel room trying to plan quality time with him. He refused all of our attempts, unless it was at his big birthday party with a hundred guests and cameras at every corner. 

‘When he finally agreed to see me, it was under the condition that Nicola wasn’t invited. It was a slap in the face. Later, when my family travelled to LA, they refused to see me at all.’

Brooklyn concluded: ‘My family values public promotion and endorsements above all else. Brand Beckham comes first. 

‘Family “love” is decided by how much you post on social media, or how quickly you drop everything to show up and pose for a family photo op even if it’s at the expense of our professional obligations. 

‘We’ve gone out of our way for years to show up and support at every fashion show, every party, and every press activity to show “our perfect family!” But the one time my wife asked for my mum’s support to save displaced dogs during the LA fires, my mum refused.

‘The narrative that my wife controls me is completely backwards. I have been controlled by my parents for most of my life.

‘I grew up with overwhelming anxiety. For the first time in my life, since stepping away from my family, that anxiety has disappeared. I wake up every morning grateful for the life I chose, and have found peace and relief.

‘My wife and I do not want a life shaped by image, press, or manipulation. All we want peace, privacy and happiness for us and our future family.’

On Tuesday, David did not respond when questioned about the feud at a press conference during the World Economic Forum in Davos.

As he posed for selfies with fans, a reporter from Sky News shouted: ‘David, do you have a message for Brooklyn this morning?’ causing the red-faced sportsman to quickly turn on his heel and make an exit.

As David walked away, he was asked again: ‘David, are you disappointed family business is being aired in public?’ but he refused to answer.

Rebecca Loos was not so shy when it came to speaking out.

David’s former PA, 48, who claimed to have had an affair with the married footballer, responded to online comments on Monday night directing her toward Brooklyn’s Instagram statement.

Replying to one fan who suggested she may ‘feel a source of extra validation’ at reading Brooklyn’s words, Rebecca wrote: ‘So happy he is standing up for himself and speaking publicly finally!!!! I have felt so bad for his poor wife, knowing too well what they can be like!’

She added in another comment ‘the truth always comes out ❤️’, mirroring Brooklyn’s own words in his explosive statement in which he wrote: ‘I believe the truth always come out.’

Rebecca, who now lives in Norway with her husband and children, shot to global notoriety in 2004 when she claimed to have had an affair with her then-boss David. 

David has always denied the affair allegations, and famously talked about the reports  in his Netflix show, released in October 2023. Rebecca insisted the show was David ‘trying to portray an image of perfection that was nothing like reality.’

The Daily Mail revealed that relations between the Beckhams broke down so completely last summer that at one point, Brooklyn asked his parents to contact him only via their respective lawyers, Schillings and Harbottle & Lewis.

One source told the Daily Mail: ‘David was told to speak to them via Schillings. That was the only way for them to communicate.’

It’s understood that Brooklyn doesn’t want his parents to contact him directly, or make public statements about him on social media.

There was no legal action between them – and no legal basis for the letter, which was simply a request. 

However, Brooklyn still remains in regular contact with both sets of grandparents.

Daily Mail has contacted representatives for the Beckhams for comment.