I see Brooklyn Beckham is on his DoorDash privacy tour. After Prince Harry and Meghan “stepped back” from royal duties, they went on what South Park famously called their worldwide privacy tour. When Brooklyn stepped away from Beckham family duties—which oddly seem to involve a royal-like level of shared mission, public appearances, and emotional restraint—he said he just wanted privacy.
It’s a Brooklyn vs. Beckham Inc disaster: what happens when the elephant in the room goes rogue | Marina Hyde Read more
And now, his DoorDash ad came out on Monday. Brooklyn is becoming quite the Greta Garbo of food delivery ads, having already done one with Uber Eats. But this latest one for DoorDash, which owns Deliveroo, really catches your eye. “You’re probably wondering,” he starts—and honestly, he’d be surprised at what I’m actually wondering. “You’re probably wondering why I’m watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup at home,” smirks Brooklyn, tossing several World Cup tickets onto a table that also has some letters. “It’s a long story,” he chuckles, before viewers are… teased, I think? … with the caption: “It’s complicated. More soon.”
Well, don’t wait too long, etc. The timing is especially striking, given that just last Friday, a photographer caught his 14-year-old sister, Harper, outside the LA house Brooklyn shares with his wife, Nicola Peltz, trying to hand-deliver him a letter. He was actually in New York at the time—and clearly not willing to accept that a paparazzo just happened to be outside the house and stumbled on that touching moment. The couple’s reps immediately put out a statement: “The fact that photographers were in place as the letter was hand-delivered says it all—this was staged for the cameras.” The Beckham family camp fired back quickly, with a source saying: “[It] is incredibly sad that this horrible accusation is being made against an innocent young girl who just desperately misses her brother.”
To be clear, before we go any further, this is ALL a heartbreaking situation. I have no doubt the Beckhams love all their children and must be completely devastated by how things are. It’s also hard not to feel for Brooklyn, who has been treated like a product since before he was born and clearly had long-term issues with it, even before he met his princess. And yet… it’s like none of the people involved can quite stop doing the things that got them here—certainly the things that can only make it worse.
Absolutely no one comes out looking good here—not the Beckhams, not Brooklyn and his wife, and let’s face it, not the awful DoorDash creative team who came up with this ad and successfully sold it to someone not widely seen as the brightest star in entertainment. No doubt they’ll cheekily flip the assumptions from the first ad in the “coming soon” sequel. But if you think they didn’t do it on purpose, I’ve got a leaking milkshake and some cold nuggets to sell you.
Anyway, speaking of stars, the Beckhams were in LA last week because David was getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (for some reason). It was, of course, a public family event, dutifully attended by all the flown-in kids except Brooklyn. And the months leading up to it have been filled with other events—fashion shows, some French cultural honor, heavily photographed and publicized birthday parties, a New York makeup launch, the Chelsea Flower Show, a football stadium opening in Miami, and so on, and so on… It seems like there’s a milestone, once-in-a-lifetime event almost everyEvery two weeks, the whole family is required to show up—no excuses.
David, Victoria, and Brooklyn Beckham with Nicola Peltz at the Netflix Beckham UK premiere in London, 3 October 2023. Photograph: Samir Hussein/WireImage
Surely some of these events are less important than others, not worth flying around the world or missing a lot of school for? Some must count as work events that Victoria and David could handle just fine on their own, without needing the full family photo like the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony. Unless, like the Windsors, the family brand is the work itself, and everyone has to be there for it.
As Brooklyn’s long, explosive statement back in January put it: “My family values public promotion and endorsements above all else. Brand Beckham comes first. Family ‘love’ is measured by how much you post on social media, or how quickly you drop everything to show up and pose for a family photo op…” That post was his version of Spare; the DoorDash ad is his Netflix documentary. Or maybe he and his wife are starting to think they have a documentary in them too. No wonder David and Victoria keep offering self-made and self-produced documentaries to the streaming service—if they don’t, you can bet who will.
Against this backdrop, it was genuinely shocking to learn a few months ago that the Beckhams had trademarked Harper Beckham’s name for a beauty business. Yet after a number of media appearances by her mother, where Victoria started laying out the backstory, it turns out Harper is actually about to launch a skincare brand. At 14 years old? Really? No one wants to be unkind here. But what will it take for the Beckhams to think twice about pushing forward with some of this stuff? How much money is enough—they’re reportedly worth nearly £1.2 billion—before easing off the family branding feels like a healthy move for everyone involved?
To contradict that viral DoorDash ad: it’s not complicated. Family is family, and there are better ways to live than selling it—or selling it out—all the time.
Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist. Her new book, What a Time to be Alive!, is out in September (Guardian Faber Publishing, £20). To support the Guardian, order your signed copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs generated from the scenario you described focusing on the PR mishap and the family dynamic
BeginnerLevel Questions
Q What happened with Brooklyn Beckham and the PR opportunity
A The Brand Beckham PR machine was ready for a perfect family photo or event appearance but Brooklyn showed up late and brought the wrong food order ruining the coordinated effort
Q Why is this a big deal for the Beckham family
A The Beckhams are famous for controlling their public image A mistake like being late or having the wrong order looks unprofessional and makes the family seem disorganized which hurts their brand
Q What does Brand Beckham mean
A It means the entire Beckham family treats their fame like a business Every public move is planned to create a positive stylish and successful image
Q Is Brooklyn Beckham known for this kind of thing
A Yes he has a reputation for being less focused on the family business and more on his own hobbies This incident is seen as another example of him not being on the same page as his parents
AdvancedLevel Questions
Q How did Brooklyn showing up late and with the wrong order actually ruin the PR opportunity
A The timing and visual were off The family likely had a coordinated message His lateness made the photo op feel rushed and the wrong order created a conflicting amateurish visual that distracted from the intended brand message
Q What is a PR opportunity in this context and how was it missed
A A PR opportunity is a preplanned moment where the Beckhams can generate positive headlines Brooklyn missed it by failing to execute his roleshowing up on time and following the scriptso the media focused on his mistake instead of the intended story
Q Does this hurt David and Victoria Beckhams brand more than Brooklyns
