David and Victoria Beckham’s pals have hit back after Nicola Peltz’s friends accused the Beckhams of ’emotional abuse and toxic behaviour’ in an extraordinary outburst

David and Victoria Beckham’s pals have hit back after Nicola Peltz’s friends accused the Beckhams of ’emotional abuse and toxic behaviour’(Image: Getty Images)

The row between David and Victoria Beckham and their daughter-in-law Nicola Peltz descended into open warfare last night.

The couple’s friends have reacted with fury after Nicola’s pals made a series of extraordinary claims about the reason why the rift between Brooklyn and his family emerged.

Her friend claimed: “We are at this point because Nicola, an outsider coming into the Beckham family, has been able to help Brooklyn see the emotional abuse and toxic behavior within his family, that it’s not healthy and it’s not normal and it’s not ok.”

But the comments have sparked outrage from sources close to the Beckhams.

“I don’t think anyone who has ever seen David and Victoria with their children would recognise this deeply unpleasant attack,” the source said. “It doesn’t even warrant a response it’s so ludicrous and patently untrue.”

A second source close to the family said they had been left “open-mouthed” that Nicola’s friends were “pumping out untruths.” The source added: ““You wouldn’t expect this of your worst enemy, let alone close family members. The whole thing beggars belief.”

Some are worried that Brooklyn has cut himself off not just from his mum and dad, but his siblings and old friends too.

“It’s a desperately sad situation,” says one pal. “Everyone loves Brooklyn so much and hopes things can be resolved.”

Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz (Image: Getty Images for ENTER Works)

Other acquaintances of David and Victoria, as well as circles in LA where the billionaire Peltz family live, say there has been signs of trouble brewing for some time. As one succinctly put it: “It was always going to implode at some point.”

Friends of the Beckhams say the whole saga is even more upsetting given the lengths to which the family have backed Nicola, including promoting her film Lola. A source said: “How the Beckhams have been cast as unsupporting is ridiculous when they have been regularly posting about her endeavours to their millions of followers.

“But what makes the current situation even more galling is how Nicola appears to relish the association with the family name when it suits her.” They pointed to one “bizarre” occasion when Nicola was photographed wearing a blue and white Dolce & Gabbana biker jacket last February.

Victoria had famously worn the same jacket in the terraces of Old Trafford to watch Manchester United be crowned Premier League champions, in 2001.

The biker jacket that Victoria wore – a look later copied by Nicola (Image: Daily Mirror)

At the time it was speculated by outlets – including fashion bible Vogue – that Nicola had been “granted access to her mother-in-law’s personal archive of noughties fashion.” But friends of the Beckhams say this was not the case at all.

One said: “If not obsessive, it was definitely the most bizarre behaviour especially given relations weren’t the greatest anyway in the wake of the wedding.”

Friends of Nicola claimed that her mum bought her the jacket in September 2023, “not knowing Victoria had worn it”.

Nicola was seen in the same jacket(Image: affinitypicture / BACKGRID)

“Nicola however did recognize the jacket and thought it was sweet to wear something her mother in law had worn,” the pal said. “Nicola has only ever attempted to be close to the Beckhams as she’s close with her own family.”

Friends of the Beckhams say the build-up to the lavish 2022 three-day nuptials at the £76 million family mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, was when the “alarm bells began to ring.”

A source claimed: “Nicola was very stressed out and quite difficult to be around and at the time everyone put it down to wedding nerves, and gave her the benefit of the doubt. But looking back it was the beginning of the relationship fracturing.”

This reached a head when a row broke-out over her wedding dress, which many assumed would be designed by her mother-in-law. In the end she wore a Valentino gown. Nicola’s pals claim Victoria offered to do it but then avoided texts and calls with her stylist Leslie Fremar to sort out the next steps. In the end Victoria texted Nicola that she couldn’t do it, the pal said.

But sources close to the Beckhams disputed this version of events, adding: “This was such a long time ago….everyone needs to move on.”

Many have pointed to Nicola’s upbringing and the influence of her doting, yet combative billionaire businessman father Nelson Peltz. A source said: “You don’t get that rich by being shy and retiring. There is no doubt Nicola has inherited his spirit.”

Brooklyn Beckham with his mum Victoria(Image: INTERNET UNKNOWN )

Her in-laws have watched as both Nicola, and her father, have launched two expensive lawsuits in as many years.

First, Mr Peltz sued the wedding planners who oversaw Nicola and Brooklyn nuptials last April because of alleged ‘mistakes’. The planners hit back and filed a counterclaim in a Miami court for breach of contract and ‘interference’ with a business deal. Both parties eventually settled.

Then last July, Nicola herself took legal action against the groomer who worked on her chihuahua Nala shortly before her death. A source said: “Nicola doesn’t take any prisoners and woe betide anyone who crosses her. The Beckhams are now in the crosshairs. It’s why no one can see any way this whole saga ends anytime soon.”