Romeo Beckham quietly deflected questions about reported tensions with his older brother, Brooklyn, during a New York Fashion Week appearance Thursday.
The 23-year-old son of David and Victoria Beckham attended a House of Champion event in SoHo on Sept. 11 and largely avoided press engagement, according to an attendee who spoke to the Daily Mail. Romeo skipped red-carpet interviews but paused to pose for photographs with fans inside. When an attendee told him, “I’m sorry to hear about your current family situation” and said she could relate, he smiled, shrugged, nodded and offered a brief hug, saying, “Nice to meet you,” but declined to comment further.
Also in attendance at the Champion party was model Lexi Wood, who has previously dated Brooklyn Beckham and spoke recently to the Daily Mail about her positive impressions of the Beckham family. Wood, 27, praised Romeo and his younger brother Cruz as “the best people I’ve ever met,” and said she found David and Victoria Beckham “very family oriented.” Wood and Romeo did not appear to interact at the event.
The encounter came days after Romeo’s 23rd birthday celebration in London on Sept. 5, which was attended by parents David and Victoria Beckham, younger brother Cruz, 20, and sister Harper, 14, but not by Brooklyn. Brooklyn’s absence at that private dinner at Japanese restaurant Aki and his omission of a public birthday message for Romeo have been cited in tabloid coverage as further signs of a long-running estrangement.
News outlets and unnamed sources have linked the reported family tension to Brooklyn’s marriage to actress Nicola Peltz, who married Brooklyn in April 2022 in Palm Beach, Fla. Reports noted that members of the Beckham family were absent from the couple’s recent vow-renewal celebrations earlier this year, and some friends and associates have said David and Victoria no longer expect their eldest son to attend family events after prior absences, including at the couple’s milestone gatherings.
An insider told the Daily Mail that Romeo’s birthday was intended to be a low-key, uplifting evening for him amid what they called “a difficult year” for the family. The source said the celebration went late into the night and that family and friends enjoyed the occasion.
Brooklyn Beckham has not publicly addressed the situation in recent weeks, though media reports say he is expected to appear in Victoria Beckham’s forthcoming Netflix documentary, which is scheduled to premiere Oct. 9 and promises access to her fashion and beauty business as well as the family. Representatives for the Beckhams did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Beckhams have not issued an official statement about the reports of a rift. Coverage in multiple outlets has focused on absences and social media omissions, while those close to members of the family have offered varying accounts of private relationships.
Romeo’s brief public interaction at the House of Champion event was the most visible sign this week of how the family story continues to play out in public settings, as friends, former partners and the press track developments around one of Britain’s most photographed families.