David and Victoria Beckham presented a united front this weekend, attending the lavish wedding of family friend Holly Ramsay, despite the notable and poignant absence of their eldest son, Brooklyn.
A Wedding Overshadowed by Family Tensions
The Beckham parents, along with their children Cruz, Romeo, and Harper, were among 200 guests at Bath Abbey on Saturday 27 December to watch Holly, 25, marry Olympic champion swimmer Adam Peaty, 30. The event, however, was tinged with personal heartache for the famous couple. Their first-born, 26-year-old Brooklyn Beckham, chose not to attend the wedding of his childhood friend, a decision insiders suggest was made to avoid any interaction with his own family.
Instead of travelling to the UK for the ceremony, Brooklyn remained in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Nicola Peltz, 30, and her billionaire family. This snub follows a well-documented estrangement between Brooklyn and his parents, which reportedly began after his own 2022 wedding to Peltz.
A Childhood Friendship Fades Away
The absence marks a significant cooling in the once-close bond between Brooklyn and the bride. The two grew up together after their families, the Beckhams and the Ramsays, forged a friendship in the early 2000s. With just nine months between Brooklyn and Holly and her twin brother Jack, the children shared playdates, luxury holidays, and ski trips, appearing frequently in each other's social media posts.
Holly was a guest at Brooklyn's own multi-million pound wedding in 2022. However, since Brooklyn distanced himself from his parents—amid rumours of disagreements over his wedding, including Victoria's involvement in Nicola's dress and the first dance—his connection with the Ramsay children has also dwindled. A source told the Daily Mail, "Brooklyn doesn’t appear to see many of his friends he hung out with before Nicola any more... Holly is one of them."
Ripples of a Family Fallout
The situation is said to have caused upset within the Ramsay family as well. Gordon and Tana Ramsay are reportedly "very, very fond" of Brooklyn, having known him since he was young, and are saddened by the fallout. The source added, "Gordon and Tana have been upset at the fall-out too."
Brooklyn's decision to skip the wedding also risks straining his relationship with the famously fiery celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, who proudly walked his daughter down the aisle. The absence could be perceived as a slight against the Ramsay family itself.
For David and Victoria, the day held an additional layer of emotional complexity. The service was a stark reminder that Adam Peaty's own parents were banned from attending, echoing their own experience of being excluded from their son's life events, including when Brooklyn renewed his vows with Nicola earlier this year without informing them.
Despite the underlying tensions, the Beckhams were photographed arriving in style at the historic abbey, with Victoria in a striking emerald green gown. The family appeared determined to support their friends on a celebratory day, even as their own familial struggles played out away from the public eye.
