They are a striking couple, and attending a magazine’s Halloween party on Wednesday night they must have known that their outfits could potentially make a very striking impact.
But the choice of costumes by Nicola Peltz-Beckham and husband Brooklyn, who arrived dressed as the ill-fated, star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet, seems to be an audacious dig at the Beckhams.
In the Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet were members of warring families who fell hopelessly in love, and whose love affair ended tragically.
No tragedy for Brooklyn, 24, and Nicola, 27, of course – but warring families? Well, now you’re talking.
The fact is that one month after Victoria Beckham’s Paris Fashion Week debut – and the photo opportunity which was meant to put reports of a feud between her, son Brooklyn, and Brooklyn’s wife Nicola to rest – nothing has changed.
Sources close to the family say that mutual bad feelings continue to simmer and the issue is ‘very much out in the open.’
Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz’s decision to dress up as Romeo and Juliet appears to be the latest in a line of audacious digs at the Beckhams – with sources revealing the Peltz-Beckham feud is still raging
The fact is that one month after Victoria Beckham’s Paris Fashion Week debut – and the photo opportunity which was meant to put reports of a feud between her, son Brooklyn, and Brooklyn’s wife Nicola to rest – nothing has changed
‘There is no rapprochement,’ says the source. ‘The fashion show didn’t change anything. The girl seems to enjoy needling the Beckhams and Brooklyn thinks he is in the love story of the century, so it’s unhappy.’
One source suggests that the idea of a connection between the Montagues and Capulets and Beckhams and Peltzes ‘probably won’t have dawned on Brooklyn’ but might have tickled his wife, who really isn’t one bit intimidated by the Beckham family.
Indeed, although there was that moment of togetherness in Paris on September 30, when the pair attended Victoria’s fashion show, the broader picture is of people of who avoid each other’s company, and avoid lending each other luster on social media.
Yes, Brooklyn and Nicola were among the invited guests at her fashion show – however it was the first time they had seen the Beckham family since July.
Yes, they did stay for a drink afterwards – but Brooklyn and Nicola did not go to Victoria’s after-show celebration party in the evening.
Instead they headed off for a dinner with the Peltz family – matriarch Claudia Peltz was in town for Paris fashion week, as were two of Nicola’s brothers.
It was an odd omission as everyone else close to her came along to offer congratulations – all the other Beckham children, loyal friends like Eva Longoria and hairdresser Ken Paves, even models Gigi and Bella Hadid who had walked in her show.
One source suggests that Victoria didn’t make much of a point of speaking to Nicola after her at the fashion show – fair enough you might think as this was a major professional pinnacle and she had a lot of people to speak to.
However again it has given the Peltz-Beckhams a reason to feel miffed.
Evidence of the ongoing feud is clear to see in each person’s respective Instagram activity – with David and Victoria seeming to only like their son’s posts if they don’t feature Nicola, while the 27-year-old model doesn’t post about her in-laws
‘There is no rapprochement,’ says the source. ‘The fashion show didn’t change anything. The girl seems to enjoy needling the Beckhams and Brooklyn thinks he is in the love story of the century, so it’s unhappy’
In direct contrast a few days later the Peltz-Beckhams partied late into the night with Pierpaoli Piccioli at the Valentino fashion show after-party – and both posted pictures of it on Instagram.
And here we come to the baffling behavior of all concerned on social media.
Did the Peltz-Beckhams post pictures on Instagram of the Valentino Paris fashion show, along with gushing captions about the talent of the designer and what a great time they had had?
Nicola re-posted one image from Victoria’s fashion show on her Instagram Stories – a photo of herself and Brooklyn
Of course. Did they post any reference at all to Victoria’s? No, they did not.
And did they like a solitary one of the nearly 30 posts which Mrs Beckham shared about her show? They did not. Not even on the picture which showed the entire family, including Brooklyn and Nicola rather awkwardly lined up.
It appears that Victoria and David are now posting likes on Brooklyn’s Instagram but only when the post is just of their son.
So they have liked posts about his cooking, and his modelling contract for Pepe, but never like his posts about wife Nicola, her modelling or his love for her.
On October 10, it was Nicola and Brooklyn’s six month wedding anniversary. Both posted syrupy declarations of love, with Brooklyn sharing some lovely photos from their wedding at the Peltz mansion in Florida. Neither David nor Victoria liked those posts.
A source said: ‘The more there are family problems, the more Brooklyn sides with Nicola. He has always been like this with girlfriends apparently – he falls hook line and sinker and gets almost obsessed.
‘David has some hopes that Brooklyn will come back to them but apparently Victoria thinks it will only get better and if they eventually split up. She says that she has washed her hands of it.’
The drama seems to have started in the run-up to the wedding in April. Tensions are understood to have arisen during planning for the wedding, which was mostly carried out by Nicola’s socialite mother Claudia. Claudia Peltz, a striking former fashion model didn’t want advice from Victoria, and the Beckhams felt rather cut out of proceedings.
Over the wedding weekend, Nicola changed three times but didn’t wear any Victoria Beckham clothes and the family were not seated at the top table. The whole event seems to have brought home how much wealthier and more influential the Peltzes – Nelson Peltz is a titan of industry worth $1.7 billion.
Tensions are understood to have arisen during planning for Brooklyn and Nicola’s wedding, which was mostly carried out by Nicola’s socialite mother Claudia, and the Beckhams felt rather cut out of proceedings
Nicola is incredibly close with her family – who have also formed a tight bond with Brooklyn, with sources saying that the budding chef is taking career advice from his billionaire father-in-law, not his own dad David
Post-wedding, the large Peltz family joined Nicola and Brooklyn, who go by the name Peltz-Beckham, for a honeymoon on board a yacht cruising the Med. The Beckhams spent the summer break aboard much smaller rented yacht in the Med.
In her Grazia interview in September, Nicola claimed that she, stylist Leslie Fremar and mother Claudia had been excited to have a dress designed by Victoria.
She said: ‘We connected to start designing the dress, and then a few days went by and I didn’t hear anything. Victoria called my mom and said her atelier couldn’t make it.’
She went on to claim that it hurt her feelings when people speculated that she hadn’t ever intended to wear a Victoria Beckham dress.
Meanwhile Brooklyn, an aspiring chef, told the magazine: ‘To be honest, my wife is obviously my first priority and I never want to see her upset ever. ‘We have each other’s back 100 per cent and we just move on together.’
Aspiring chef Brooklyn has been completely embraced by his new family, who are a tight-knit bunch.
Nelson, according to Nicola, has been teaching young Brooklyn the basics of being a businessman and is said to be supporting him in an ambition to launch a range of hot sauces. In the process, David and Victoria have felt rather cut out.
The next staging post for this unhappily extended family is Christmas. The Beckhams delight in throwing a great family event at their house in the Cotswolds, complete with an exclusive New Year’e Eve Party. At this point it’s ‘doubtful’ that they will be joined by Brooklyn and his wife.