Can the Beckham brand survive reports of family feud?

The anointment of Sir David Beckham is a moment of establishment recognition three decades in the making. But as the former footballer was conferred his knighthood on Friday, reports of family drama threatened to overshadow the milestone.

Known for his precision on and off the pitch, Sir David has spent decades carefully curating his family's public image.

This year is one of celebration for the former England captain - turning 50 at the helm of an estimated £500m empire.

But for the past few weeks, much of the online interest around the Beckhams has focused on reports that eldest son Brooklyn and his wife Nicola Peltz have fallen out with the rest of the family.

An expert in reputation management says reports of the feud have begun to affect the family's public image, noting press coverage of the Beckhams has taken on a more soap-opera-like tone.

Celebrity crisis PR Lauren Beeching says recent media conversation has "started to feel more like something you'd see around a reality TV family".

"The Royal Family lost control over the narrative as Harry and Meghan became more independent, and that's the same here with Brooklyn and Nicola, who are both adults and are forming their own public personas," she says.

Like Meghan, Nicola Peltz was already a known figure before marrying Brooklyn. The daughter of a billionaire businessman and model, "Nicola doesn't need to rely on the Beckhams for money or fame", says Wayne Barton, who wrote a biography about Beckham in 2020.

In a bid to not be perceived as nepo babies - children of celebrities who get fast-tracked to success - "Brooklyn and Nicola are in search of their own identities, which "may be putting them at odds with the careful public image that the Beckhams have created for the family", he says.

Sir David's polished image has, on occasion, been tarnished by scandal - in 2003, he faced accusations of an extra-marital affair with his former personal assistant Rebecca Loos.

Nicole Lampert, the Daily Mail's showbiz editor at the time, says the Beckhams perfected "smiling through" issues - letting actions speak over words.

In 2004, the couple staged a photocall skiing together to demonstrate a united front - with Victoria giving what Lampert describes as a pained "rictus grin".

Generally, however, the Beckhams have remained tight-lipped when it comes to scandals, such as criticism over David Beckham's involvement with Qatar, and leaked emails in 2017 that included disparaging comments about singer Katherine Jenkins being awarded an honour over him.

Having been in the spotlight for decades, the Beckham brand will survive the feud and it is currently "bruised but not broken", according to Mr Navarra.

One way the Beckhams could limit the damage to their brand would be by "showing family unity with a picture on social media or at least acknowledging that all families have their ups and downs", he suggests.

But trying to inauthentically manage the situation and making things look overly staged could backfire and the "narrative of a feud will become permanently baked in".

Mr Navarra does not believe there are many real implications to the Beckham brand right now and the reports are not affecting their earning potential, brand collaborations or level of interest in them.

"If anything, it humanises the family a bit," he explains, but he cautions there could be a greater impact on their reputation if the feud escalates or more damaging rumours come to light.