If you’ve been on social media over the weekend, you’ll have undoubtedly seen that Victoria Beckham’s 50th birthday party was quite the star-studded affair.
Away from the full Spice Girls reunion — which was helpfully caught on camera by Victoria’s husband, David Beckham — guests at the London bash included everyone from Tom Cruise to Eva Longoria.
As usual, David and Victoria were joined by their four children: Brooklyn, 25, Romeo, 21, Cruz, 19, and Harper, 12. But as the family stunned in group pictures from the night, it quickly became apparent that Brooklyn’s wife, Nicola Peltz Beckham, was nowhere to be seen.
If you know anything about the Beckham family, you’ll be familiar with the past speculation about Nicola’s relationship with her in-laws — namely, Victoria.
For a quick reminder, when Brooklyn and Nicola first started dating back in 2019, it seemed that Nicola had fit seamlessly into the family. The actor and billionaire heiress often appeared on the Beckhams’ Instagram accounts, and it looked as if she’d especially bonded with her mother-in-law, who regularly commented on her posts.
However, as Brooklyn and Nicola’s April 2022 wedding date loomed, fans began to theorize that something had gone awry between the two families as Victoria and Nicola’s social media interactions dramatically reduced.
The rumors eventually came to a head in Summer 2022, starting when Nicola covered Tatler magazine’s August issue as “The New Mrs. Beckham.” In the accompanying interview, she appeared to throw shade at the people putting “a lot of pressure” on her husband “to please people with his career” — which many interpreted as a dig at David and Victoria.
And as speculation of a serious falling-out reached fever pitch, Nicola eventually went on the record to insist that everything was fine, telling Variety that the rumors merely stemmed from the fact that she didn’t wear a Victoria Beckham-designed wedding dress, opting instead for Valentino couture.
Since then, Victoria and Nicola appear to have developed a closer relationship than ever before — though that didn’t mean fans weren’t a little intrigued by Nicola’s absence at her mother-in-law’s big birthday celebration over the weekend.
However, it seems Nicola’s learned from the past. Before speculation of a feud could pick up any traction, the 29-year-old entered the chat to account for her lack of attendance, explaining on her Instagram that she was spending time with her grandmother instead.
On the date of Victoria’s birthday on April 17, Nicola also celebrated her mother-in-law with a sweet tribute on Instagram, writing: “I love you so much and love being your dance partner forever.”
