THE Bank of Mum and Dad is a bone of contention for many a Boomer and Generation X-er – just ask David and Victoria Beckham.
After months of heartbreaking animosity between Brooklyn and his parents, money — I’m told — has long caused a fractious divide between his own family and his bride’s.
News of Posh and Becks’ eldest son “buying” a £11million Hollywood mansion with wife Nicola Peltz has brought tensions simmering, once again, to the surface.
Because I can reveal that Brooklyn does not entirely own the swanky five-bed, six-bathroom pad overlooking the magnificent Pacific Ocean.
Largely Nicola — the daughter of a billionaire — does.
According to concerned friends of David and Victoria, this leaves Brooklyn “trapped”, as does a forensic pre-nup which, again, was drawn up to secure the Peltz family’s enormous wealth — a fortune that relatively dwarves the Beckhams’.
But, as ever in this ongoing row, there are counter-arguments from both sides.
Incredibly, the Peltzes accuse the Beckhams of being “tight” and not amply providing for their beloved son. A source tells me: “Money, so the saying goes, is the root of all evil.
“Certainly, in the case of the Beckhams vs Peltzes, it’s proven… tricksy. David and Victoria are two working-class kids done good.
“They have grafted hard for their money and understand that with privilege comes responsibility.
“On principle, they will not needlessly spoil their kids and have taught them the value of both industry and money. They’re like Gordon and Tana Ramsay in that regard.
‘Honourable intentions’
“So, when it came to buying this house, of course they weren’t just going to hand their son millions of pounds — what sort of message does that send?
“Nelson Peltz, on the other hand, is a billionaire investor and he and his wife Claudia regard Nicola, their little girl, as the apple of their eye.
“Understandably, they want to indulge her and ensure she never struggles — they expected the Beckhams, worth half a billion themselves, might match them penny for penny. Or, at least, chip in with financials as and when.
“That hasn’t always happened, so they are annoyed and telling people it’s a bit tight, which would utterly enrage David and Vic if they knew.
“They claim the Beckhams effectively cut off their kids financially when they turn 18.”
Such an accusation would doubtless enrage Team DVB. Indeed, it does.
It is, I am told, “nonsense”.
A friend hits back: “To be crystal clear, David and Victoria will always support Brooklyn if and when he needs it.
“When he was setting up on his own, they would regularly help him out — as parents do — but they won’t spoil him. They still help all their grown-up kids.”
Brooklyn and Nicola’s new home was largely paid for using her trust fund money — but, as the ”settlor”, or creator, of the fund. Nelson had to sign off the release of any money.
Pals insist both Brooklyn and Nicola also put in their work savings, and have “been saving for years”.
It is not known how much they contributed themselves
To be crystal clear, David and Victoria will always support Brooklyn if and when he needs it
Friend
Nicola’s camp, meanwhile, insists this house has “nothing to do with family dynamics”.
And they say that for Brooklyn — who spent much of his childhood in California while his dad David played for LA Galaxy — “LA has always felt like home”.
However, another source says the new pad was actually the couple’s second house purchase. Nelson was adamant first time around that the young couple must “both only buy a house they can afford”.
They ended up selling the initial property. So this, then, is their first proper home together and will doubtless be a place they hope to one day raise a family.
Although, not for now, according to one of Nicola’s pals, who says she recently started work on a new film and is currently on location shooting.
That movie, I’m told, co-stars little- known English socialite Jazzy de Lisser, and has a £1.2million budget. It is described as “art house” and “lets Nicola show off her acting mettle.”
Sadly, the positive PR surrounding Nicola’s last film, 2024’s Lola, seems a world away. The glitzy red carpet premiere in Los Angeles was attended by Victoria, as well as Brooklyn’s brothers, Romeo and Cruz. (David was away working at the time and Harper was at school).
Today, ex-Spice Girl VB would sooner get on stage to belt out Wannabe a cappella than support one of Nicola’s projects.
The new purchase for the Peltz-Beckhams (the throughly modern couple sweetly wanted to take each other’s surnames) comes three years after their lavish £3.5million wedding.
The ceremony was held within the grounds of the Peltzes’ stunning Floridian family estate. They are understood to have largely paid for the event — as is custom.
The Beckhams, however, offered the services of pal Marc Anthony as a superstar wedding singer, and bought the couple a vintage Jaguar as a gift.
In the weeks leading up to the divisive nuptials — more on these later — Brooklyn, 26, reportedly signed the “mother of all pre-nups”.
Not surprisingly, canny Nelson — with whom Brooklyn is extremely close — ensured that, in the unlikely case of divorce, his family assets would be protected.
“Pre-nups are standard practice Stateside,” says someone familiar with the Peltz-Beckham contract. “Especially if you’re a billionaire.
“To be honest, the Beckhams were very relaxed about it all. To be frank, it was entirely unexpected — and very welcome — for Brooklyn to have met someone who comes from more wealth than him.
It was entirely unexpected — and very welcome — for Brooklyn to have met someone who comes from more wealth than him
“They felt Nicola’s intentions were entirely honourable, and the paperwork effectively made sure that what both parties put into the marriage, they would take back out.
“It wasn’t a problematic moment.”
While not “problematic”, it does mean Brooklyn must keep earning. A kept man, he is not.
“Brooklyn’s influencer work is lucrative, and he has his Cloud 23 (hot sauce brand), which is beginning to do pretty well,” says a pal.
“He certainly contributes a lot financially to the marriage and, of course, Nicola is savvy and keen to make them a brand in their own right as a couple.
“You’ll notice all their recent red carpet appearances have been together, and they very much seem to come as a pair at the moment.”
Case in point, their recent Glamour Germany front cover, a special “Love Rules” edition for the digital mag. The highly tactile pair gave a touching interview, talking about their early days of courting.
Came to a head
Brooklyn said of his wife: “You should marry your best friend. Someone who feels like home. For me, that’s Nicola.”
He also revealed his “strict” parents banned him from getting a tattoo until the day he turned 18, while Nicola, 30, who is Jewish, said her first inking read “family first” in Yiddish.
Brooklyn’s first tattoo, of course, was a tribute to his once-beloved dad. How sad, then, to see things turn out this way.
In the same interview, the couple recalled their emotional wedding day — a day that has since proffered, as the late Queen might have said, “very differing recollections”.
In fact, it was recently claimed that Nicola cried on her wedding day after Victoria “hijacked” the first dance. The Beckhams have furiously denied this, livid at the suggestion Victoria would deliberately upset her daughter-in-law.
Ultimately, all anyone wants is for Brooklyn and Nicola to be happy, and for some sort of wider truce
David's pal
There is, though, a wedding video of the entire day which, I’m told, Nicola and Brooklyn have in their possession. They could, then, clear up any mistruths once and for all, if and when they want to.
To recap, Brooklyn has not spoken meaningfully to his parents in seven months.
Tensions came to a head last month when Brooklyn failed to attend former England star David’s 50th birthday celebrations, despite him being in the UK that week.
His friends claim he tried to meet his dad for a private coffee, but was rebuffed. The pair’s last communication is understood to have been a “happy birthday” text.
While pals blame the fallout on younger brother Romeo’s romance with DJ Kim Turnbull — which she has denied — the Beckhams point the finger of blame solely at Nicola.
In truth, there has never been much love lost there — bar a brief detente around 18 months ago — and they accuse her of driving a wedge between Brooklyn and his once-inseparable family.
At the same time, Brooklyn has developed a deep bond with the actress’s own family — regularly praising them on Instagram and spending “happy” time with them at their home.
However, David’s pals believe Father’s Day on Sunday may have “offered up some hope” — because Brooklyn did not use the occasion to praise his father-in-law.
“That would have been an utterly devastating kick in the teeth,” I’m told. OK, he didn’t post a tribute to David, but he also didn’t do one for Nelson. It’s a tiny, silly thing, really — but everyone is hopeful it’s an olive branch of sorts.
“It’s all very messy but, at the end of the day, these are two loving families, albeit with very different views and core beliefs, who just want the best for their kids.
“There is no right or wrong, and it’s heartbreaking for everyone involved.
“Ultimately, all anyone wants is for Brooklyn and Nicola to be happy, and for some sort of wider truce. It just takes someone to make the first move.”
