On 2 August, just three years after they first said ‘I do’, Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz renewed their vows. And, in a move that shocked fans, the couple failed to invite any of the groom’s family. Now, insiders tell heat, that not only did the Beckhams have no idea the ceremony was taking place, but when the photos dropped on social media last week, they were left devastated.
‘Victoria broke down sobbing when she saw the pictures, and David didn’t really say anything for a few days – you could just tell how affected he was,’ says a source. ‘Vic was heartbroken and spent about two hours crying on the phone to her mum, trying to find the words to express the pain she felt.’
The insider continues, ‘To the outside world, Nicola and Brooklyn come across as a pair of immature nepo babies. The vow renewal appears to be the most attention-seeking, spiteful way of making a big statement. But for the Beckhams, it feels like it’s been staged to inflict pain and humiliation in the most public way – not just on Brooklyn’s parents, but on his siblings and grandparents, too. They have no idea why they’ve has gone to such extremes. They’re utterly bewildered, and what they’re going through almost feels like grief for their child. They were worried something like this might happen after things ramped up earlier this year, but it’s still completely shocking.’
The origins of the bitter feud are said to stem from Brooklyn and Nicola’s first wedding in 2022. Actress Nicola, 30, reportedly fell out with her fashion designer mother-in-law after opting not to wear a VB dress on her big day. Further stories claimed things went from bad to worse when Victoria, 51, upset her daughter-in-law at the reception after she allegedly swooped in and stole the first dance with Brooklyn, 26. Beckham family friend and J.Lo’s ex, singer Marc Anthony, was performing as a wedding gift, and a source claimed, ‘Before the song began, Marc asked Brooklyn to come to the stage, and then announced, “The most beautiful woman in the room tonight, come on up… Victoria Beckham!”’
The source went on to claim Nicola allegedly felt, ‘Victoria ruined her wedding and couldn’t understand why.’
After a brief truce, things ramped up earlier this year, with Brooklyn and Nicola distancing themselves from his family – notably missing every one of David’s 50th birthday celebrations, before cutting off all contact with the Beckhams. The couple then also unfollowed Brooklyn’s brothers Cruz and Romeo on social media.
Notably, at the recent vow renewal, it was Nicola’s family – including billionaire dad Nelson, 83, and mum Claudia, 70 – who were front and centre, with Nicola wearing a reworked version of her mum’s wedding dress. The rest of the 200 guests at the event, held at one of the Peltz’s estates outside New York City, were said to be comprised of members of her glam squad, her acting coach, and fellow actors.
Speaking about what prompted the renewal – now being dubbed the ‘Revenge Wedding’ – our source says, ‘Apparently, Nicola hated looking at the pictures from the first wedding, because her “monster in-laws” were in them. In her eyes, that day was ruined by the Beckhams, even though plenty of people have said it wasn’t like that at all. But Nicola decided she wanted a new wedding, and she wanted to erase any trace of the Beckhams from their lives. All of the pictures from the first wedding have been removed from the Peltz properties and are currently being replaced by the new ones. Nicola and Brooklyn are telling people they wanted the renewal ceremony to represent this new chapter in their lives – a future that does not include his family.’
In a further kick in the teeth to the Beckhams – who were holidaying in St Tropez when news of the vow renewal broke – Brooklyn and Nicola splashed the photos all over Instagram. Captioning the carousel of snaps, ‘Forever my girl’, the eldest Beckham child included one of his father-in-law, who appeared to be acting as officiant, which is said to have been ‘heartbreaking’ for David.
Reactions to the photos were mixed, with followers branding them either ‘a beautiful couple with beautiful pictures’, or ‘cold, calculating and deeply hurtful’.
Seemingly seeking to stop all the blame being laid at the bride’s door, another wrote, ‘Calling Nicola controlling is just lazy. She’s not holding anyone hostage, Brooklyn is a grown man who’s fully capable of making his own choices. He is an adult who’s perfectly aware of the life he wants.’
Others urged Brooklyn to ‘drop the name Beckham’ if he no longer wanted to be associated with his family and to ‘remember where you came from and who supported you… You’ve been brought up better than this’.
Our insider says, ‘One big thing that David and Vic can’t get their heads around is the way Nicola centred her family in all this, especially her dad. David was really hit hard by this. Brooklyn’s response is that the Peltzes love him as a son, and have made it their mission to protect him. David and Vic are heartbroken and worried – there are alarm bells ringing.’
Despite all the family trouble, the Beckhams have been living it up in Europe this summer, spending time on their luxury £16million yacht. As well as Brooklyn’s siblings, Romeo, 22, Cruz, 20, and Harper, 14, Cruise’s girlfriend Jackie Apostel joined them, and pics showed them all looking happy and relaxed.
As heat has reported, David had promised Victoria ‘a perfect summer that she’ll never forget’, in a bid to take her mind off the drama. Speaking at the time heat’s source said, ‘Vic hasn’t been herself recently and has been hiding away a bit. David is keen for them to have fun as a family – and as a couple – and show that nothing can break them.’
It was also around this time that Brooklyn and Nicola unfollowed his brothers on Instagram, with Romeo and Cruz blocking them in retaliation. But while David and Victoria are of course worried about Brooklyn, we’re told they are still trying to remain positive.
Our insider says, ‘Despite everything Brooklyn’s putting them through, their biggest concern is his wellbeing, because they don’t think he’s OK, and they are worried this could all end very badly.’
The source continues, ‘The one positive thing that has come out of this is that it’s brought the rest of the family closer. They’ve been leaning heavily on each other.’
The source adds that David and Victoria have also been doing some soul-searching. ‘There’s been a lot of intense conversations with Romeo and Cruz,’ we’re told. ‘David, especially, has been feeling like he failed as a father, and has really needed his other boys to be there for him. The kids are being very protective of their parents and are making sure they know how much they love them.’