David and Victoria sail with three children as Brooklyn promotes a new venture away from family

The Beckham family’s long-running rift has resurfaced in public view, as David and Victoria Beckham enjoy a lavish French Riviera holiday with three of their children — while eldest son Brooklyn remains absent, promoting a new business venture online.

The former England football captain, 50, and fashion designer Victoria, 51, are spending the summer aboard their £16 million superyacht with sons Romeo, 22, Cruz, 20, and daughter Harper, 14. The family have shared photos from the trip, including romantic moments between David and Victoria, Cruz showing off football skills in front of his father, and Harper cuddling up to David on deck.

Victoria posted a carousel of images to Instagram captioned “Kisses @DavidBeckham” alongside sun and heart emojis. David shared his own snapshots, praising a visit to their favourite restaurant, Chez Bruno, describing it as “Perfection… family run Truffle restaurant WOW,” and posting images from a private kitchen tour.

The absent family member was Brooklyn, 26, who instead took to Instagram to promote his latest commercial project — a cocktail kit developed in collaboration between his Cloud 23 hot sauce brand and Jefferson’s Bourbon. The kit, dubbed the “Brooklyn23”, contains bourbon, vermouth, black cherry syrup, bitters, coupe glasses, and a pouch of Cloud 23 hot sauce, promising “robust but smooth whiskey with a kick of fiery undertones.”

Brooklyn’s separate pursuits come amid a years-long family feud that has played out in the press since his 2022 wedding to actress Nicola Peltz. Disputes reportedly began over her decision not to wear a Victoria Beckham-designed gown, with conflicting accounts over whether Victoria declined to make it or simply could not finish it in time. Tensions were further fuelled by social media absences, alleged snubs at family events, and reports of awkward run-ins involving Brooklyn’s siblings.

Key moments have included the couple missing Victoria’s 51st birthday celebrations, Paris Fashion Week, and most notably David’s 50th birthday in May this year — an event Brooklyn was reportedly invited to but chose not to attend. Sources claimed his reluctance was due to the presence of Romeo’s girlfriend, Kim Turnbull, who allegedly had a past connection with Brooklyn.

The strained relationship has also seen sporadic public olive branches. In July, Brooklyn wished sister Harper a happy birthday on Instagram, tagging Nicola in the post — only to unfollow his brothers Romeo and Cruz 24 hours later. Nicola mirrored the move, unfollowing both brothers. The social media rift now runs both ways.

Meanwhile, the two sides have been staging parallel luxury getaways. Brooklyn and Nicola were recently seen aboard her family’s £85 million superyacht in Saint-Tropez, a vessel that dwarfs the Beckhams’ yacht. The couple also renewed their vows this year without any Beckham family members in attendance.

Reports in June suggested David and Victoria are “desperate” to reconcile, while sources close to Brooklyn and Nicola say they have hired a crisis management team to deal with ongoing media scrutiny — a move compared to strategies used by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

For now, the Beckhams’ French Riviera trip appears to be about family time — albeit minus one. Photos of sunlit decks, seaside views, and family dinners paint a picture of togetherness, though the absence of Brooklyn continues to underline the tensions.

With a Netflix documentary on Victoria’s life in the works — one that Brooklyn and Nicola will reportedly not appear in — the public chapter of the Beckham family divide shows no sign of closing soon.