Victoria Beckham defends parenting amid rift with son Brooklyn

Victoria Beckham said Thursday she and her husband David have always sought to "protect" their children, months after eldest son Brooklyn attacked his famous parents in an explosive social media rant.

In the January post, 27-year-old Brooklyn alleged his parents tried to "ruin" his relationship with his wife Nicola Peltz Beckham and said he had no wish to reconcile with his family.

He said his parents, seeking to protect the "Brand Beckham," tried to "bribe me into signing away the rights to my name" before he married the American actress in 2022.

Victoria Beckham, a Spice Girls pop star turned fashion designer, told the Wall Street Journal that she and ex-England footballer David have "always tried to be the best parents that we can be."

"We've been in the public eye for more than 30 years right now, and all we've ever tried to do is protect our children and love our children," she said.

"Being a parent of young adult children and adult children, gosh, I mean, it's very different from having little children. I think that we're trying to do the best we can."

Brooklyn's surprise criticism of his parents made front-page news in UK tabloids.

"Since the moment I started standing up for myself with my family, I've received endless attacks from my parents, both privately and publicly, that were sent to the press on their orders," he said.

International soccer phenom David Beckham has not directly answered questions about the tensions, but when asked by US broadcaster CNBC about children using social media, he said parents should let children "make mistakes." 

AFP