When Brooklyn Beckham married Nicola Peltz in April, it looked like his doting mum Victoria Beckham had gained a daughter rather than lost a son.
The Spice Girl turned fashion designer, 48, even gushed on Lorraine in December 2020: “She’s sweet, she’s kind, she’s such a lovely, warm, wonderful, wonderful woman. We couldn’t have asked for Brooklyn to meet a more adorable, lovely lady. We are very happy. We love her. He’s so happy.”
Now, however, we can reveal not only how Victoria’s relationship with her daughter-in-law has cooled in a matter of weeks, but why the signs were there even before Brooklyn and Nicola’s nuptials took place.
It’s all a far cry from this time last year when Victoria and Nicola, 27, went into overdrive on Instagram to show the world how united they were.
On 29 August, Nicola posted images from her film directing debut, Lola James, which she also stars in. Posh wrote under them: “We can’t wait! Kisses!”, adding two handclap emojis.
Meanwhile, Nicola liked several personal and professional posts on Posh’s Insta, including one from 8 August where the family met up with 23-year-old Brooklyn in New York. Then, on January 9 this year, she gushed, “Thank you so much love you all so much” when Posh posted a pic of Nicola holding hands with Harper for her birthday.
The Beckhams welcomed Nicola into the family with open arms. If there was any disapproval about the four-year age gap with their boy or the fact the couple got engaged so soon after officially announcing their relationship in January 2020, it was not evident at the family engagement party in the Cotswolds in July 2020.
To mark the occasion, Victoria posted several pictures of Nicola wearing a VB spring/summer dress and posing with David’s mum Sandra and her own parents, Jackie and Tony. One was captioned: “Celebrating with family is everything.”
Despite Nicola being the daughter of self-made billionaire Nelson Peltz, the snaps were down-to-earth. The appeal of the Beckhams has always been that they’ve kept their feet – and those of their children – on the ground in spite of their riches. And it looked like Nicola had warmed to their low-key approach.
But, gradually, it’s become evident she is happiest when at home with her own family – and she’s admitted she’d struggle to move to the UK, saying: “I wouldn’t say no but you never know. Just because I love knowing I am so close to my family.”
At Christmas 2020, despite reports that he’d stay in the US, a dutiful Brooklyn flew home without Nicola to celebrate with his family. But last year, meet-ups between Nicola and Brooklyn and the Beckham clan became fewer as the young couple enjoyed an A-list life in Beverly Hills.
In November 2021, when asked if it had been hard to move away from his family, Brooklyn replied: “No, because I’m marrying my best friend, so we kind of have our own bubble together now and it’s just really nice.”
Could he have risked his mum’s wrath further by talking about his Christmas plans? Brooklyn said: “I think I’m going to be with my fiancée’s family, so I’m excited.”
Yet come Christmas Day, where was he? Judging by social media, he seemed to be in two places at once. Was he with Nicola, which it looked like from the pictures of them in matching PJs enjoying their “best-ever” Christmas? Or was he somewhere with his parents and siblings Romeo, 19, Cruz, 17, and Harper, 11? Because that’s what it looked like from Posh’s post of the family posing in a panelled hall in their glad rags.
Was there a behind-the-scenes power struggle for Brooklyn’s heart?
As preparations for the spring wedding went into overdrive, relations between Victoria and her future daughter-in-law seemed to cool further, with fewer and fewer interactions evident on social media.
Now, an exclusive source has told us: “Victoria and Nicola just don’t always get on as well as everyone may think. It’s as simple as that. It’s not like they’ve fallen out over anything in particular but as time has gone on I think they’ve realised they don’t really click. It’s because they are different people. Nicola has come from a rich background, Victoria hasn’t.”
This difference in upbringings was brought into sharp focus by the wedding and surrounding coverage. Nicola – who appeared to snub Victoria by not having her design her dress – also seemed to have distanced herself from Posh and Becks’ legendary nuptials, saying: “Their wedding was incredible and the pictures were iconic but the wedding we were most inspired by was Iman and David Bowie’s.”
Reportedly, Victoria and David were unhappy to not be seated at the top table during the wedding breakfast. Instead, it has been claimed the Beckhams had to look on as Brooklyn presided over a sea of smiling Peltz faces.
Any feelings of discomfort can only have been deepened when it was confirmed that Brooklyn was – unusually – taking Nicola’s surname. Their Insta handles were updated post-wedding to @Nicolaannepeltzbeckham and @Brooklynpeltzbeckham.
This followed the revelation in February that Brooklyn had had Peltz tattooed on his chest – announced by Nicola posting: “I’m so happy you’re a Peltz.”
That theme has continued, with Nicola posting a video just last week – as rumours started to grow of a rift – of Brooklyn telling grandma-in-law Bunny, “Thank you for letting me into your gorgeous family.”
There appear to have been other digs, too, with Nicola commenting in a recent Tatler interview on how her beloved, who is not known for his ability to hold down a job, had “felt a lot of pressure to please people with his career and didn’t love it”.
Posh will have been quick to note her daughter-in-law had no issues about trading on his name for the cover, which pronounced her “The New Mrs Beckham”.
Our source added: "There’s no denying that since the wedding, there’s been a bit of distance between them. But you can’t force people to be best friends and get on. Of course, Victoria wants her son to be happy and wants the best for her family – but there seems to be this underlying issue that doesn’t look like it will be resolved any time soon.”
The ongoing frostiness on social media since the nuptials appears to bear witness to that. The last time Posh liked a post of Nicola’s was on 27 May, while her daughter-in-law looks to have ignored all of Posh’s family posts – including one of Brooklyn posing with David on his wedding day, for US Father’s Day on 19 June.
Another source told us: “I think it’s very difficult for Victoria, coming from a tight-knit family, to see her son grow so close to his in-laws. Like any mum, she worries she could be losing him, and I think she is determined to stay on Nicola’s good side to ensure that doesn’t happen.”
Meanwhile, reports that the two couples met in Venice recently are unconfirmed. And while Brooklyn wished his parents a happy wedding anniversary on 5 July, posting a family pic captioned: “Love u guys”, he was a day late.
Victoria has had to put up with an unrelenting stream of selfies from the Peltzes’ yacht as her son hangs out with his new billionaire family this summer. And even though she and Becks have upgraded to a rented superyacht – their own sleeping just eight – it doesn’t seem to have been enough to entice Mr and Mrs Peltz-Beckham on board.
Whether all of this is just a storm in a very expensive tea cup remains to be seen. After all, there are also reports the newlyweds will be buying a house in Miami to be close to both families.
That seems like the ideal solution – and one that Posh will no doubt be hoping for.
READ NEXT:
Victoria Beckham reveals extreme fitness routine that makes her 'feel physically sick'
David and Victoria Beckham more loved up than ever on wedding anniversary in Paris
David Beckham romantically picks up Victoria in his arms in sweet moment on holiday
- David Beckham shows off sweet palm tattoo designed by Harper aged 4 at Wimbledon
For all your updates on the Beckhams, sign up to our daily OK! newsletter
Source: Read Full Article
