David Beckham struggles to smile as he is pictured for the first time since son Brooklyn’s explosive statement and speaks about ‘resilience, failure, regret and disappointment’ at World Economic Forum in Davos
David Beckham was pictured for the first time since son Brooklyn’s explosive statement about their family feud was posted – when he appeared at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday.
The former footballer, 50, looked weary-eyed as he posed for photos and took part in a podcast interview on Radio Davos on an episode called Re-thinking with science author, Adam Grant.
The annual meeting in Davos opens with a stated motto of ‘improving the state of the world,’ and this year’s theme is ‘A spirit of dialogue.’ David’s awkwardly-timed interview will focus on ‘resilience, failure, regret and disappointment’ amid his family woes is expected to be released on Wednesday.
The sportsman appeared to be stuggling to put a brave face on, just hours after his son went nuclear on the Beckham brand.
Brooklyn, 26, took to Instagram on Monday night to share a six-page statement, where he said he has no wish to reconcile with his family and is standing up for himself ‘for the first time in his life’.
Brooklyn and his wife Nicola Peltz, 31, have been at the heart of the acrimonious divide that has resulted in them snubbing all significant family celebrations over recent months, including his father David’s milestone 50th birthday and knighthood.
David Beckham appeared tired and struggled to smile as he was pictured for the first time since son Brooklyn’s explosive statement about their family feud – attending the World Economic Forum in Davos just hours after he posted, on Tuesday
Brooklyn launched an extraordinary attack on his famous family the night before, accusing his parents David and Victoria of ‘controlling’ him in a lengthy statement
David spoke about ‘resilience, failure, regret and disappointment’ in a podcast episode called Re-thinking with American science author Adam Grant
The chef went as far as to say he has been ‘controlled by a family that values public promotion above all else’ and that since being with his wife Nicola, he has found ‘peace and relief’ after battling crippling anxiety.
Brooklyn also claimed Victoria, who has her own fashion brand, cancelled making Nicola’s wedding dress at the ‘eleventh hour’ and hijacked their first dance which left him so ’embarrassed’ they decided to renew their vows without his family last year.
‘I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private.
‘Unfortunately, my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed.’
‘I do not want to reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.
‘For my entire life, my parents have controlled narratives in the press about our family.
‘The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into.
‘Recently, I have seen with my own eyes the lengths that they’ll go through to place countless lies in the media, mostly at the expense of innocent people, to preserve their own facade. But I believe the truth always comes out.’
He continued: ‘My parents have been trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding, and it hasn’t stopped.
‘My mum cancelled making Nicola’s dress in the eleventh hour despite how excited she was to wear her design, forcing her to urgently find a new dress.
‘Weeks before our big day, my parents repeatedly pressured and attempted to bribe me into signing away the rights to my name, which would have affected me, my wife, and our future children.
It appears David and Victoria were in different placed in the hours after their son’s statement was published, with David away with work (stock image)
He then recorded a podcast during the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF)
He wrote: ‘I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private’
Brooklyn went on to address his wedding to Nicola, claiming there had been repeated attempts to ruin their relationship
Brooklyn claimed: ‘The night before our wedding, members of my family told me that Nicola was “not blood” and “not family”
‘My wife has been consistently disrespected by my family, no matter how hard we’ve tried to come together as one,’ he continued
‘The narrative that my wife controls me is completely backwards. I have been controlled by my parents for most of my life,’ he went on
‘They were adamant on me signing before my wedding date because then the terms of the deal would be initiated.
‘My holdout affected the payday, and they have never treated me the same since.
‘During the wedding planning, my mum went so far as to call me ”evil” because Nicola and I chose to include my Nanny Sandra, and Nicola’s Naunni at our table, because they both didn’t have their husbands.
‘Both of our parents had their own tables equally adjacent to ours.
‘The night before our wedding, members of my family told me that Nicola was ”not blood” and ”not family.”’
‘Since the moment I started standing up for myself with my family, I’ve received endless attacks from my parents, both privately and publicly, that were sent to the press on their orders.
‘Even my brothers were sent to attack me on social media, before they ultimately blocked me out of nowhere this last summer.
‘My mum hijacked my first dance with my wife, which had been planned weeks in advance to a romantic love song.
‘In front of our 500 wedding guests, Marc Anthony called me to the stage, where in the schedule was planned to be my romantic dance with my wife but instead my mum was waiting to dance with me instead.
‘She danced very inappropriately on me in front of everyone.I’ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life.
‘We wanted to renew our vows so we could create new memories of our wedding day that bring us joy and happiness, not anxiety and embarrassment.’
David didn’t look his usual chipper self as he posed for pictures
Brooklyn has said he has no wishes to reconcile with his famous family at this point
Tensions of a brewing feud began over Nicola’s choice of wedding dress, with rumours at the time claiming it was the actress who refused to wear one of Victoria’s eponymous designs
Brooklyn claims his mother Victoria pulled out of designing Nicola Peltz’s wedding dress at the ‘eleventh hour’ contradicts what the bride’s stylist said (pictured vow renewal)
The family seen together in much happier times
‘My wife has been consistently disrespected by my family, no matter how hard we’ve tried to come together as one.
‘My mum has repeatedly invited women from my past into our lives in ways that were clearly intended to make us both uncomfortable.
‘Despite this, we still travelled to London for my dad’s birthday and were rejected for a week as we waited in our hotel room trying to plan quality time with him.
‘He refused all of our attempts, unless it was at his big birthday party with a hundred guests and cameras at every corner.
‘When he finally agreed to see me, it was under the condition that Nicola wasn’t invited. It was a slap in the face. Later, when my family travelled to LA, they refused to see me at all.
‘My family values public promotion and endorsements above all else. Brand Beckham comes first.
‘Family ”love” is decided by how much you post on social media, or how quickly you drop everything to show up and pose for a family photo opp, even if it’s at the expense of our professional obligations.
‘We’ve gone out of our way for years to show up and support at every fashion show, every party, and every press activity to show ‘our perfect family.
‘But the one time my wife asked for my mum’s support to save displaced dogs during the LA fires, my mum refused.’
‘The narrative that my wife controls me is completely backwards. I have been controlled by my parents for most of my life.
‘I grew up with overwhelming anxiety. For the first time in my life, since stepping away from my family, that anxiety has disappeared.
‘I wake up every morning grateful for the life I chose, and have found peace and relief.
‘My wife and I do not want a life shaped by image, press, or manipulation. All we want peace, privacy and happiness for us and our future family.’
No doubt David will be attempting to focus on the matter in hand in Davos on Tuesday.
Nearly 3,000 attendees from the interlinked worlds of business, advocacy and policy will tackle issues including the growing gap between rich and poor; AI’s impact on jobs; concerns about geo-economic conflict; tariffs that have rocked longstanding trade relationships; and an erosion of trust between communities and countries.
The forum will be without its founder, Klaus Schwab, who hosted the first event in Davos 55 years ago focusing on business, only to see it since balloon into a catchall extravaganza.
He stepped down in April. New co-chairs Larry Fink, the head of investment firm BlackRock, and Andre Hoffman, vice chair of pharmaceuticals firm Roche, are in charge.
This year will also mark the debut appearance of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, arguably the world’s most important tech leader today, among some 850 CEOs and chairs of global companies – along with some celebrities like Hollywood actor and safe-water advocate Matt Damon.
The future of AI, its impact on business and work, and the prospects for artificial general intelligence will be key themes.
