Brooklyn Beckham's aunt Louise Adams has become the first member of his family to mark his 27th birthday amid a social media silence so far from his parents and siblings. The younger sister of Victoria appeared to break rank as she sent a message to her nephew, who is believed to be celebrating in LA amidst the continued fallout, before even David had posted.
Taking to her Instagram Story, Louise shared a throwback photo of Brooklyn as a toddler with his cousin Libby. Captioning the sweet photo, she wrote: "Happy 27th birthday @brooklynpeltzbeckham."
At present, neither of his siblings with public accounts, Cruz, 21, and Romeo, 23, have posted to mark his special day. However, following his aunt's tribute, his father, 50, posted two throwback childhood pictures on his own platform.
They included one of a young Brooklyn with both his parents in a swimming pool with the caption "27 today...Happy Birthday Bust...we love you x" and another of him slightly older with his dad. Additionally, Victoria, 51, shared on her own Instagram the same pool picture along with another, and the caption "Happy birthday Brooklyn, we love you so much."
It comes just weeks after he insisted he didn’t want to "reconcile" with his mum and dad. The accusations included that they had tried to "ruin" his relationship with now-wife Nicola Peltz Beckham, along with claims of "performative social media posts".
It seems that Louise is trying to remain neutral as the feud, which had been ongoing long before it was made public in January by Brooklyn, rumbles on with no end in sight. Indeed, the twice-divorced mother-of-four recently shared that she had attended his brother Cruz's 21st birthday party in London, with a post that read: "Happy birthday to one of the most amazing humans I know & love @cruzbeckham."
© @louisesadams / Instagram
© Instagram / David Beckham
© @victoriabeckham / InstagramHowever, Louise may feel a special bond with Brooklyn in particular, given that, according to Glamour, he used to work at her clothes shop, Hidden Closet in Hoddesdon, on the till as a teenager. The birthday boy is also understood to be close to her four children, including Finlay, Liberty, Tallulah-May and Quincy.
Family silence
David and Victoria, who are not believed to be celebrating privately in person with their eldest child as they are in Paris currently in Paris for the designer’s latest show, nonetheless make a point of marking their children’s birthdays on their respective Instagram accounts. Last month, they both shared special tributes on their youngest son Cruz's 21st birthday to the delight of their millions of followers, and were also by his side at the glamorous London party.
On Brooklyn's birthday last year, his family marked him turning 26. Captioning a sweet throwback photo on Instagram, David, referencing his son's Cloud23 brand, wrote: "Happy Birthday Bust x. We love you so much have the best day [with] lots of cake and hot sauce…we miss you."
© Getty Images
© WireImageSimilarly, Victoria shared: "Happy birthday @brooklynpeltzbeckham…We all love you so much and hope you have an amazing day!!" It was the caption to a carousel of old pictures from when her firstborn, who she welcomed in 1999 in London, was a young child.
It is unclear how Brooklyn is spending his 27th birthday, although it is likely to be with his wife Nicola. For her 31st birthday in January, he shared on his Instagram photos from the renewal of their wedding vows, which took place last summer, notably without his family present.
Public fallout
The arrival of Brooklyn's special day comes a matter of weeks after he publicly stated on Instagram that he did not wish to "reconcile" with his parents. In a six-page announcement, he confirmed a long-rumoured rift with his family, which related in part to his relationship with Nicola.
He wrote: "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."
© SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett
© Getty Images for VogueBrooklyn continued: "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 concluded: "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 is peace, privacy and happiness for us and our future family."
In the days and weeks following his statement, both sides of the fallout have mainly remained outwardly silent about the matter. David and Victoria have gone about their business as usual, while their other sons Romeo and Cruz, as well as daughter Harper, 14, have only subtly hinted at their true feelings online.
According to insiders, Victoria has refrained from publicly responding as she "wants to move forward with dignity and grace". The former Spice Girl – who attended a ceremony in which she was honoured by the French government days after Brooklyn's posts – has been keeping busy.
"They're focusing on the positives, including Victoria's achievement and Cruz's concert in London next month," a source told HELLO! of the Beckham family. "If anything, this has all brought them closer than ever, just sadly without Brooklyn."
