Victoria Beckham says her kids ought to behave ‘appropriately’ as she opens up about feud with Brooklyn

On Apr 17, 2026

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By REBECCA LAWRENCE, DEPUTY SHOWBUSINESS EDITOR (DIGITAL FEATURES)

Published: 09:23, 17 April 2026 | Updated: 09:24, 17 April 2026

Victoria Beckham has said it’s important that her children behave ‘appropriately’ amid the family’s ongoing feud with eldest son Brooklyn.

The Spice Girl, 52, was asked about her son before talk turned to her youngest child Harper.

Describing her 14-year-old daughter, Victoria 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 followed Brooklyn’s explosive statement about their estrangement, in which he claimed that Victoria had danced ‘inappropriately’ with him at his 2022 wedding to Nicola Peltz.

She also addressed the feud directly, saying: ‘I think that we’ve always — we love our children so much. We’ve always tried to be the best parents that we can be.

‘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’.

Victoria Beckham has said it’s important that her children behave ‘appropriately’ amid the family’s ongoing feud with eldest son Brooklyn

Victoria said of daughter Harper, ‘She’s very appropriate, which I think is really important as well’ (L-R) Cruz, Romeo, Brooklyn, Harper, David and Victoria Beckham and Nicola Peltz

Victoria was also asked about whether she feels ‘remorse’ about bringing her family, including her four children, Brooklyn, Romeo, 23, Cruz, 21, and Harper, 14, as well as her parents, into the public spotlight.

She told The Wall Street Journal: ‘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,’ she replied. ‘We’ve really taken our families on this ride with us’.

David and Victoria haven’t spoken to Brooklyn since last May, when he and his wife Nicola Peltz snubbed the former footballer’s 50th birthday celebrations.

Brooklyn and Nicola’s lawyers wrote to the Beckhams’ legal team demanding that they only converse through them.

Shortly before Christmas, Brooklyn blocked his parents on Instagram, and in January, he posted a brutal, bombshell six-page letter on the social media platform.

He claimed David and Victoria controlled him for most of his life, tried to split him and Nicola up and left him embarrassed when his mother danced ‘inappropriately’ with him during his first dance at his wedding.

Speaking about all four of her children earlier in the interview, Victoria added that ‘being a parent of young adult children and adult children, gosh, I mean, it’s very different from having little children’.

‘I think that we’re trying to do the best we can,’ adding that the negative press in the past three months has not affected her fashion and beauty business.

‘I think that ultimately people are buying my product because the product is really good. I don’t think they’re buying my eyeliner just because it’s me,’ she said.

Victoria’s comments came ahead of her 52nd birthday on Friday and reports the day will feel more like an ordeal than a celebration.

‘Victoria’s dreading it,’ a source told the Mirror. ‘It’s really, really difficult for her. She’s trying to keep busy with work to distract herself, but her heart is broken.’

Nonetheless, she put on a brave face as kickstarted the festivities with a lavish dinner with Harper at Casadonna in Miami on Thursday.

The mother and daughter duo shared a sweet embrace after Victoria was surprised with a white birthday cake at the dinner table.

Before she headed out, Victoria took to Instagram to share a stunning mirror selfie and detailed her outfit.

Victoria slipped into a glamorous navy gown, which costs £990, from her Victoria Beckham collection.

‘So I’m here in Miami and tonight I’m going out with my girlfriends for my birthday and I just got this amazing navy blue jersey dress which I love’, she said.

‘It is just the perfect party dress for a night out with my girlfriends.’

Victoria put on a brave face as kickstarted her 52nd birthday festivities with a lavish dinner with Harper at Casadonna in Miami on Thursday

Earlier this month, Brooklyn appeared to take a swipe at his estranged family in his gushing four-year anniversary card to his wife Nicola.

The aspiring chef, 27, made his feelings clear yet again with a defiant anniversary message to wife Nicola, where he said they ‘have been through so much together but are stronger than ever’.

The 2022 Florida wedding was once again thrust into the spotlight earlier this year when Brooklyn insisted he wanted no further contact with his family in a bombshell statement.

He claimed his mother had cancelled making Nicola’s dress at the last minute, ‘hijacked’ the first dance, and ‘danced inappropriately’ on him.

On his Instagram Story on Friday, Brooklyn shared a card he had sent to Nicola which read: ‘Happy 4 year anniversary baby I love you with all my heart.

‘We have been though so much together but today we are stronger than ever and you are my best friend.

‘I can’t wait to grow old together with you. Love you so much x.’

Brooklyn captioned his Instagram Story: ‘Happy anniversary @nicolaannepeltzbeckham x love you with all my heart. Can’t wait to stay young with you xx love you so much x.’

Brooklyn Beckham’s statement in full

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 comes out.

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.

My mum hijacked my first dance with my wife, which had been planned weeks in advance to a romantic love song. 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.

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.

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 opp, 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.