Yeesh, and I thought my family had problems.
On Monday night, Brooklyn Beckham took a very public swing and went nuclear, unloading six dense Instagram pages of grievance, hurt and long-simmering resentment – all aimed at his parents, David and Victoria.
Most of it circles back to Brooklyn’s wedding with actress Nicola Peltz, the dress that wasn’t, and the moments that were destroyed – including a first dance Brooklyn says was hijacked by his mother – a revelation now spawning a thousand memes.
It’s only one version of events, of course.
The Beckhams haven’t responded, and there’s every chance they won’t – at least not publicly. But make no mistake: this is already shaping up as a case study. A slow-burning family rift detonated on Instagram, playing out in real time under the glare of a global audience.
The question now ricocheting through PR offices everywhere is simple – how on earth does Brand Beckham handle this?
To get a read on what comes next – and, just as crucially, what not to do – Mediaweek spoke with two of Australia’s sharpest crisis-comms minds: Sally Branson, Managing Director of The Sally Branson Consulting Group (SBCG), and Andrew Knowles, co-founder and partner at SKMG.
First response: assess the damage, then say nothing
For both experts, the immediate aftermath is not about crafting the perfect statement – it’s about resisting the urge to respond at all.
“The immediate priority is damage assessment and stakeholder mapping,” Branson said.
“Before any public response, I’m getting on the phone with key stakeholders – brand partners, business associates, media contacts who’ll be ringing for comment. This isn’t just about what the public sees; it’s about shoring up the commercial and professional relationships that underpin the Beckham brand empire.”
At the same time, Branson is unequivocal about what not to do.
“Simultaneously, I’m advising complete radio silence from Victoria and David on social media. No knee-jerk reactions, no defensive posts, nothing. The worst thing they could do right now is engage emotionally in real-time while Brooklyn’s post is still gaining traction.”
Knowles agrees that restraint is the strategic play – but frames it within a broader understanding of how public sentiment is formed long before a crisis hits.
“Ultimately, this is a great lesson in understanding that more often than not, the bulk of public reaction to a crisis is determined by how your brand appears in culture.”
Sally Branson
The goodwill bank: why Brand Beckham can afford silence
Both experts point to the Beckhams’ decades-long brand-building as the key reason silence works here.
“What might be less obvious is that this is a small fraction of a much larger equation in determining how the public actually responds to a brand – personal or otherwise – at times like these,” Knowles said.
“The lion’s share of that equation is shaped by what is done before the crisis emerges.”
That work, he argues, has already been done.
“You wouldn’t expect that when David released his ultra-popular documentary in late 2023, it was a proactive campaign to mitigate against a personal brand attack from his own son. That’s because it wasn’t. But it did the job all the same.”
Because of that cultural reset, Knowles said, “the Beckhams senior have relatively recently restored their mega stardom and cultural relevance to great success, connecting with old fans and new generations alike and also – incidentally – cementing how devoted they are to their children.”
“Their cultural goodwill bank at the present moment? Enormous.”
Branson makes a similar point, though through the lens of brand positioning rather than sentiment.
“Keep calm and carry on – and I mean that literally. This is where their quintessentially English brand positioning becomes their greatest asset.”
“They’ve spent years strategically building their brand – the Cotswolds estate, David’s tweed, their role as quintessentially English ambassadors. None of this has been by accident.”
Andrew Knowles
If they speak at all, keep it brief – and parental
If silence becomes untenable, both experts say any statement must be minimal and emotionally neutral.
“If we issue a statement at all, it’s short and sweet: something along the lines of loving their son and always being there to support him,” Branson said.
“That’s it. No point-by-point rebuttal, no airing of grievances, no ‘setting the record straight.’ They take the high road because they can afford to.”
Knowles agrees – with a clear warning attached.
“If they absolutely must, the Beckhams could play the gracious card with a brief statement: ‘We love our son. We support him no matter what.’ That’s hard to argue with, and it sidesteps a public row with your child, which is something you’ll virtually always lose, even with public sentiment on your side.”
“What’s critical is that they’re not seen to be using the media as a vehicle to say something like ‘Brooklyn, we love you, and we want to talk’,” he added. “The public knows you have your son’s number.”
Brooklyn’s post – and the problem with performative platforms
Both experts are blunt about the asymmetry between Brooklyn’s public platform and his parents’ brand equity.
“Honestly? Probably not,” Branson said when asked whether the Beckhams could have prevented the post.
“When someone works on a digital platform, they’ve got autonomy to post what they want, when they want. You can’t control adult children, especially when they’ve built their own public platform.”
But she also questions the credibility of the critique itself.
“He’s accusing his family of being ‘performative’ when his entire brand is built on being performative. That’s the nature of social media – everyone on these platforms is performative to some degree when building a public presence.”
“More to the point, Brooklyn’s whole brand is built on his parents’ fame, popularity, and wealth.”
Knowles is even more direct about how that imbalance plays out publicly.
“Brooklyn, sadly, doesn’t have that same reserve.”
Victoria at Brooklyn’s wedding pic.twitter.com/Dcu1n50L8a
— WaheyStar Royco (@BuckinghamAlice) January 19, 2026
Will this actually damage Brand Beckham?
Yes – but not fatally, according to both experts.
“Yes, of course it will damage their brand. In any situation like this, there’s going to be damage,” Branson said. “But the critical question isn’t whether there’ll be damage – it’s how you deal with it.”
What works in the Beckhams’ favour, she argues, is relatability.
“Everybody knows family dynamics are complicated. The everyday person can see their own family conflicts reflected in this situation.”
Knowles points to early online reactions as evidence that public sympathy currently sits with the parents.
“We know that Goodwill Bank is working because early internet responses are making memes out of Victoria’s alleged dancing rather than pointing fingers at her alleged misbehaviour.”
“For now, this implies the public sees the statements as a bizarre episode, nothing more.”
The real work happens off Instagram
Behind the scenes, Branson says, the focus should be squarely on stakeholder management – not optics.
“Behind the scenes, if the Beckhams were my clients, I’d be working intensively on stakeholder management. This is crucial.”
“That means proactive communication with brand partners and commercial stakeholders, media relationships, their inner circle and trusted advisors, and business interests and ventures.”
“The public statement is just the tip of the iceberg,” she said. “The real work happens in these private conversations.”
Knowles agrees – and says that, handled correctly, this doesn’t undo decades of brand architecture.
“The Beckhams have built something substantial and strategic over decades. Brooklyn’s post is a family issue playing out publicly, but it doesn’t fundamentally undermine the brand architecture they’ve constructed.”
“They own this story if they play it right – with grace, brevity, and strategic stakeholder management.”