On Tuesday, a visibly emotional Sir David Beckham described receiving his knighthood from the King as “a special honour” and “a big moment for our family”.
Sir David’s wife, Victoria, and his parents, Sandra and Ted, watched on proudly as he was knighted during the ceremony at Windsor Castle. The newly ennobled footballer was then photographed at the castle with his smartly dressed wife and children, sons Romeo, 23, and Cruz, 20, and daughter Harper, 14.
However, that beautiful photo is tinged with sadness thanks to the glaring absence of his son, Brooklyn, who seemingly remains locked in a bitter feud with his parents, and who snubbed the entire occasion – the most important of his father’s career.
It is perhaps the clearest sign yet that after four years of rumours about tension, relations between him and his parents have truly hit rock bottom. What should be a picture commemorating a glorious day could instead haunt the Beckham family forever.
Rachel Richardson, who writes the culture and trends newsletter Highly Flammable, describes the current frosty silence between Brooklyn, 26, and his family as their “Cold War phase”. On this week’s evidence, it doesn’t appear as though a truce will be reached any time soon.
