Nicola Peltz positioned herself as an ‘outsider’ in her final photograph with the Beckhams, it has been claimed.
The last photograph of the Beckham family with their eldest son Brooklyn and his wife Nicola before their feud went into overdrive was posted by Victoria on Boxing Day last year.
Since then, relations have soured so much it seems almost beyond repair.
Yet body language expert Judi James explained to MailOnline how trouble was already showing when the group spent Christmas together.
She mused: ‘Nicola’s smile here looks charming and her pose is a mirrored version of Victoria’s but it has seemed as though she might have been actively distancing herself (and Brooklyn) from the Beckham clan.
‘It is not an unusual step for new wives hoping to encourage a husband to stand on his own feet rather than being overly-dependent on his parents.
‘This line-up might be a reflection of that distancing although in the past it has been her and Brooklyn sitting apart from his parents, while here he poses apart from his wife, which could have added to any tension.’
The key sign that ‘awkward’ Nicola Peltz was ‘distancing herself’ from the Beckhams was revealed in their final photograph together – which Victoria posted on Boxing Day last year (L-R Cruz, Romeo, Brooklyn, Harper, David, Victoria, Nicola)
The Beckham family have been at the centre of a feud that has pitted Brooklyn, 26, and his wife Nicola , 30, on one side, and the rest of the family on the other (pictured in 2023)
Judi also noted the difference between the last snap and previous family posts, explaining: ‘The Beckhams are and have always been a very close family unit.
‘Christmas pics in the past have always had a “team Beckham” vibe with things like matching pyjamas and very affectionate poses.
‘When Brooklyn married to start his own life as a husband it was inconceivable that he’d leave the Beckham fold, so the expectation from fans was that Nicola would be added to the family group and integrated as a new member of team Beckham.
‘It was pretty obvious that didn’t work out though and there have been many group photos that signal awkwardness or even distancing from Brooklyn and Nicola.’
Judi added that Nicola’s placement on the end of the row showed her to be the ‘outsider’ of the group.
She continued: ‘Nicola’s either been put or has chosen to stand on the end of the line here while her husband is embraced near the middle, on the other side of the group.
‘Brooklyn is featured here in the hub of the family while Nicole is standing at the end, with Victoria’s back to her. Victoria always poses in a way to focus on her husband, meaning she hasn’t turned here to include or communicate with Nicole.
‘If one of the other boys had come to stand behind Nicole in the line-up there might have been a better balance, but she looks as though she’s on the edges here while Brooklyn has had his place restored at the bosom of the family.’
Judi also noted the difference between the last snap and previous family posts, explaining: ‘The Beckhams are and have always been a very close family unit’ (pictured in 2020)
Judi’s comments come as the feud between Brooklyn and his wife and his family has come to a head.
Now, MailOnline recounts the three years of swipes, jibes and pointed absences within the family.
April 2022: Nicola ‘snubs’ Victoria at wedding
Rumours of a feud between the Beckhams and their daughter-in-law were sparked on the wedding day itself, when Nicola opted to wear a Versace bridal gown instead of one of Victoria’s designs.
Whispers of ructions launched when it was claimed that Nicola refused to wear one of Victoria’s eponymous designs – instead opting for various designs from Valentino, Christian Dior and Versace.
As the wedding plans were underway, insiders alleged Victoria was displeased with Nicola’s reluctance to involve her in the plans for the lavish affair.
It was claimed the Beckhams’ took a backseat on the big day – leading to yet more fury from Victoria, with a source telling Daily Mail: ”The top table was all Peltzs and it really felt as though the Beckhams were not at the forefront…
‘There was a feeling that the wedding was all about the Peltz family, as you can imagine, as it was their house and their daughter and their son making the speeches.’
Nicola later confirmed the rumours had begun after she didn’t wear Victoria’s design. While she denied there was a ‘feud’, she explained that Victoria’s atelier simply hadn’t had time to make the dress, as she insisted: ‘No family is perfect.’
Nicola said: ‘It’s not a feud! I keep seeing everywhere that word, ‘feud, feud, feud!?’ I mean, maybe they picked up on something? And now they’re labelling it feud?’
‘I think it all started, and I’ve said this before, because I didn’t end up wearing Victoria’s wedding dress, but the real truth is, I really, really wanted to wear it and I thought it was so beautiful that Brooklyn’s mom got to make that for me!…
‘And I was really excited to wear it! And I didn’t end up wearing it. But I, truthfully, was really excited to wear her dress. It makes me sad when I read things that people say I was never planning on wearing it. That’s just not true.’
Rumours of a feud were sparked on the wedding day itself, when Nicola opted to wear a Versace bridal gown (pictured) instead of one of Victoria’s designs
September 2022: Victoria ‘blanks’ Nicola
After months of confusion as to why Nicola hadn’t worn her mother-in-law’s designs on her big day, Nicola claimed Victoria blanked her for days in the run-up to the wedding.
She claimed the initial plan was for her to wear a specially-made dress designed by Victoria, however she didn’t hear from the former Spice Girl for days before she rung to say she wouldn’t make the gown for her big day.
The devastating news left Nicola stumped – since her stylist Leslie Fremar and mother Claudia were also set to join the design dream team. The plan was shot down in a call between Victoria and Nicola’s mom.
In a bombshell interview with Grazia USA, Nicola revealed: ‘We connected to start designing the dress, and then a few days went by and I didn’t hear anything. Victoria called my mom and said her atelier couldn’t make it.’
Doting husband Brooklyn made his position clear amid the family feud, telling the publication that Nicola is his ‘number one priority’ and that they ‘have each other’s back 100 per cent’.
After months of confusion as to why Nicola hadn’t worn her mother-in-law’s designs on her big day, Nicola claimed Victoria blanked her for days in the run-up to the wedding
Nicola, the daughter of New York billionaire Nelson Peltz, attempted to set the record straight as she explained: ‘I was planning on wearing Victoria’s wedding dress and I was truly so excited to be able to wear a design that my future mother-in-law created.
‘I thought that was so beautiful and such a beautiful story.’
Following the revelations from Victoria that she couldn’t make her daughter-in-law’s dress, Nicola recalled: ‘So, I spoke to my mom and Leslie, and I was like, “Well, unfortunately, this can’t happen, so what’s the next step?”
‘I’ve been a fan of Valentino and their couture for so long. I was really lucky to be able to travel to [the atelier] to try on the dress. That’s really what happened.’
Describing Victoria and David as ‘great in-laws’, Nicola admitted that it ‘hurt her feelings’ when it was reported that she had ‘never planned’ to wear a dress by her mother-in-law.
She said: ‘It does hurt my feelings. I try not to let it, but it’s just not the truth. It’s just a bit of a bummer when you’re like, “Oh, people think that,” but it’s just not true.’
Brooklyn – who was always known to have had a close relationship with his parents and siblings in the past – made his position on the rift perfectly clear when he stated that his wife is his ‘first priority’, before adding that they always ‘talk things through’ and ‘move on together’ when it comes to rumors and speculation about their personal lives.
‘To be honest, my wife is obviously my first priority and I never want to see her upset ever,’ he said. ‘We have each other’s back 100 per cent and we just move on together.’
March 2023: Beckhams put on an united front in Paris
Amid ongoing feud rumours, Brooklyn and Romeo shocked fans when they turned out to support Victoria at her Fall/Winter Paris Fashion Week catwalk show.
And fashion designer Victoria appeared to have finally got the chance to dress her daughter-in-law as Nicola had earlier turned up to the show in one of her garments.
Proving that they certainly were on friendly terms again, an Instagram live video showed Victoria headed over to give a warm hug to her daughter-in-law at the end of her catwalk presentation, before embracing husband David.
Taking to Instagram after the show, Victoria beamed with pride as she posed alongside devoted husband David and her kids (minus Romeo) for a family photo, with the group also including Nicola.
Captioning the Instagram post, she penned: ‘I couldn’t do it without you, I love you all so much x #harperseven @davidbeckham @cruzbeckham @brooklynpeltzbeckham @nicolaannepeltzbeckham. Kisses from Paris (we miss you @romeobeckham!)’
Amid ongoing feud rumours, Brooklyn and Romeo shocked fans when they turned out to support Victoria at her Fall/Winter Paris Fashion Week catwalk show
December 2024: Romeo starts dating Kim Turnbull
Eyebrows were raised when Romeo started dating Kim Turnbull, given she once enjoyed a close relationship with his elder brother Brooklyn.
Kim, is the well-heeled granddaughter of renowned post-war sculptor and painter William Turnbull, while her father Alex Turnbull and uncle Johnny were part of the post-punk band 23 Skidoo, formed in 1979.
She previously dated Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s son Rocco, and through that connection was part of a tightknit friendship group in 2016 which included Brooklyn Beckham.
Kim and Brooklyn were undeniably close for a brief period – as photographs of them together at the time show – but suggestions that they were ever an item are wide of the mark, according to well-informed sources.
April 2025: Cruz shuts down Brooklyn and Kim rumours
As fans continued to question whether Romeo’s girlfriend Kim had been romantically involved with Brooklyn beforehand, Cruz was quick to shut it down.
He cleared up rumours when he responded to an Instagram post showing a picture of Romeo and Kim together.
In a now-deleted message, one user commented: ‘It’s appropriate to date your brother’s ex too? Cool.’
Cruz replied: ‘Brooklyn and Kim never dated.’
Eyebrows were raised when Romeo started dating Kim Turnbull, given she once enjoyed a close relationship with his elder brother Brooklyn
April 2025: Victoria and David ‘blank’ miss Victoria’s birthday…
Neither Victoria or husband David wished Brooklyn and Nicola a happy third wedding anniversary on April 10 – or even ‘liked’ or commented on the happy couple’s post about their milestone.
In fact, none of the Beckham family publicly congratulated them, including Romeo who Brooklyn has reportedly fallen out with.
Celebrating three years since they walked down the aisle on Thursday, the couple posted a throwback photo from their wedding day.
Brooklyn, 26, captioned the photo: ‘Happy 3 year anniversary baby x I love you with all my heart x I’m so lucky I get to spend everyday with you and wake up to your beautiful face everyday you are my world x I love you so much Nicola xxxxxxx.’
Meanwhile, Ms Peltz’s post – a similar caption to Brooklyn, 26, alongside her photos from their wedding day on Thursday – also failed to prompt any congratulations from her in-laws.
…then they ‘blank’ Victoria’s birthday
A week after their anniversary celebrations seemingly went unacknowledged, Nicola and Brooklyn returned the favour by not publicly marking Victoria’s birthday.
Sharing a sizzling throwback snap of a swimming pool smooch to mark his wife’s 51st birthday, David wasn’t holding back on the affection front.
The celebrity couple’s sons Romeo and Cruz were also quick to send loving messages to their mum on social media.
However, no such message from Brooklyn or Nicola was posted.
Despite jetting into London on the week of David’s 50th birthday, neither Brooklyn or Nicola were present at any of the lavish celebrations
May 2025: Brooklyn and Nicola miss David’s 50th birthday party
Despite jetting into London on the week of David’s 50th birthday, neither Brooklyn or Nicola were present at any of the lavish celebrations.
They were notably absent from a big family party at the Beckhams’ £10million Cotswolds estate, when David and Victoria were joined by their parents and siblings.
The couple also failed to appear a few days later for David’s birthday dinner at Core restaurant in Notting Hill, west London.
It’s reported that they had been invited to all three parties and up to the last hours on each occasion, the family had hoped they would attend.
But, says one source, ‘each time Brooklyn left his parents hanging’.
Following the birthday party snub, it was revealed Brooklyn also declined an invitation by his father to join him and his brothers on a ‘boys’ fishing trip to celebrate his 50th.
May 2025: Nicola and Brooklyn spark ‘Beckxit’
Eyebrows were raised even further when it emerged Brooklyn and Nicola had rubbed shoulders with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at a dinner in Montecito, California.
It was reported, the two women found ‘common ground’ over their new-found infamy as American wives who’ve allegedly driven a wedge through well-known, and much-loved, British families.
Harry had apparently offered Brooklyn his ‘unwavering support’ amid the fall-out with his parents and siblings – a subject on which he’s becoming something of an expert.
However, sources told The Mail’s Katie Hind that David and Victoria had no idea about the meeting, leaving them blindsided that their errant offspring had joined the ‘other side’ in what appears to be just the latest jibe at his parents.
In fact, not only did the Beckhams not know of the event, those in their circles struggled to believe that Brooklyn and Nicola would agree to meet up with Harry and Meghan having snubbed five of David’s 50th birthday celebrations.
It was, they say, a particularly cruel blow.
Brooklyn knows how hurt David and Victoria were when Harry and Meghan accused them of briefing stories about them,’ said a source. ‘David, who is very mild mannered, was absolutely furious.
‘Brooklyn was very much around and spending a lot of time with his parents when this all happened. It was over five years ago but the upset and dislike is still very much there.
‘Victoria was especially good to Meghan in the beginning and it all got thrown back in her face.’
Also far from an intimate occasion, there were more than 20 people at the party, held at the Robbins’ vast, $17 million, six-bedroom villa, with its 4,500 bottle wine cellar and 88ft swimming pool.
