It had seemed as if Victoria Beckham and daughter-in-law Nicola Peltz might be on their way to making amends after more than 18 months of reported tension between them.
But despite putting on a united front earlier this month at Victoria’s fashion shows and the premiere of husband David’s Netflix documentary, Beckham, insiders say there’s now fresh tension after reports that Nicola and husband Brooklyn could be about to do a tell-all Netflix documentary of their own.
A source says, “While Vic and Nicola appeared to be on good terms again, behind the camera it’s a very different story.
“The Beckhams are experts at putting on a show of unity no matter what’s going on, and while things had been better between them, the feud between Nicola and her mother-in-law has not been fully resolved. There is still an awkwardness between them which is noticeable for everyone to see. Tensions are even higher now that Brooklyn and Nicola are potentially doing a documentary like his dad’s, which could air some grievances of their own.”
Following Brooklyn and US model Nicola’s engagement announcement in July 2020, fashion designer Posh, 48, gushed that she “could not be happier” for her son and his then-fiancée as she celebrated “the MOST exciting” news with her husband, David, and their three younger children, sons Romeo, 21, Cruz, 18, and daughter, Harper, 12.
In the months that followed, the pair seemed to become close – with Nicola, 28, often modelling her future mother-in-law’s designs from her fashion line and Posh spending time getting to know Nicola’s family in Miami, including her billionaire father, Nelson, 81, and mother, Claudia, 68.
Reports of a rift surfaced in the lead-up to Brooklyn and Nicola’s wedding in April 2022, when insiders told Closer how Posh was feeling “pushed aside” and “shut out” of the planning.
Rumours of a feud spiralled after the wedding when Nicola – who wore a Versace gown on her big day – reportedly claimed that Posh hadn’t even called to let her know she wouldn’t be able to design her dress after initially promising to make a bespoke frock for her future daughter-in-law.
The “dress-gate” saga followed reports of a widening rift between the Beckhams and the Peltz family.
And after Nicola added fuel to the fire, when she stated, “No family is perfect”, it reportedly led an upset David, 47, to warn his son and new wife against airing their dirty laundry in public.
However, earlier this year, Nicola appeared to signal she was back on good terms with her mother-in-law when the family reunited to watch Sir Elton John at his last London gig.
But insiders claim tensions remain, while Posh has been rocked by fresh reports her son and his wife have already been scouted by Netflix for their own reality show following the success of David’s recent documentary.
The source says, “Victoria is understandably panicked about what Nicola could say – especially given how TV execs are always pushing for spicy lines on these tell-all documentaries. She and David are too experienced to let their guard down, but she worries that Nicola could inadvertently make a throwaway comment that could portray her in a negative light.
“She understands Brooklyn and Nicola are stars in their own right and can choose the opportunities they believe will further their careers, but it’s naturally concerned Vic and has sent her into a tailspin.
“She’s planning to speak to Brooklyn to smooth things over and encourage them to toe the line if they do decide to go for it.”
The source adds, “David’s a firm believer in talking things out rather than just papering over the cracks, and he’s advised Vic to have a sit-down with Nicola to get everything out in the open.
"She’s agreed to broach it with Nicola and hopes that they can finally put this to bed. Ultimately, family is the most important thing in the world to her and she knows that as long as they are a tight unit, everything will be OK.”