The Beckham family once turned their love for each other into ink. Now, one of those permanent declarations has been quietly rewritten.
Brooklyn Beckham, the eldest child of David and Victoria Beckham, appears to have covered the word ‘dad’ on a large anchor tattoo on his upper right arm. For years, it sat there like a shorthand for the bond between a famous father and his firstborn. Today, that tribute looks very different.
The change lands just after Brooklyn publicly announced that he did not want to reconcile with his parents. For a family that has built a global brand on unity, glamour, and carefully curated images, a fading tattoo feels like its own kind of statement.
A Tattoo Tribute Turned Into a Silent Statement
According to the Daily Mail, Brooklyn, 26, originally had the word ‘dad’ inked across an imposing anchor design on his arm. Directly underneath sat the inscription ‘Love you Bust’, a reference to David’s longtime nickname for his son.
New photos, first highlighted in British tabloids and recapped by the Daily Mail, show that the bold ‘dad’ lettering now appears to be gone. In its place are several small, nondescript shapes, including a star, that obscure where the word once sat. The text underneath, the tender message linked to David’s nickname, now looks lighter and less prominent.
The edit arrives against an emotional backdrop. The Beckhams have not publicly responded to Brooklyn’s decision to distance himself, and his choice to alter such a visible tribute is being read, fairly or not, as another signal that the relationship remains strained.
The tattoo history between father and son makes the change even more poignant. David famously had the word ‘Buster’ tattooed on his neck in 2015 as a permanent nod to Brooklyn. The Daily Mail reports that the neck ink, still clearly visible during a recent trip to Doha, remains untouched.
This is not the first time Brooklyn has altered a family-focused design. The outlet notes that he previously covered a chest tattoo that read ‘mama’s boy’, which he had gotten in honor of his mother, former Spice Girl and fashion designer Victoria Beckham.
For a family that helped define late 1990s and early 2000s celebrity culture, matching tattoos once felt like sweet, modern keepsakes. Now, the edits and cover-ups are being dissected as visual evidence of a deeper break.
Inside Brooklyn’s Public Break With His Parents
The tattoo change is only the latest chapter in a saga that burst into public view when Brooklyn released what the Daily Mail described as a scathing statement about his parents. In that message, he made it clear that he did not wish to reconcile with his family.
Brooklyn Beckham has altered his tattoo dedicated to his dad, David Beckham, amid their family feud. In new pictures, Brooklyn is out in Los Angeles with the “dad” script is now noticeably covered up with what appears to be a starfish and two life preservers. 📸: BACKGRID pic.twitter.com/gqncQsL3YO
— Page Six (@PageSix) February 4, 2026
The reported statement, which followed long-rumored tensions, included pointed claims about his relationship with his parents in the lead-up to his wedding to actress Nicola Peltz. In particular, he alleged that his mother interfered with one of the most emotional moments of the day.
“My mum hijacked my first dance with my wife, which had been planned weeks in advance, to a romantic love song,” Brooklyn claimed, according to the Daily Mail’s account of his statement.
The comment landed heavily with longtime Beckham watchers, who remember the image of David and Victoria as a united front through football superstardom, chart-topping pop fame, fashion launches, and four children. Over the years, they cultivated a narrative of a tight-knit, slightly cheeky, hardworking family moving in sync.
Brooklyn’s decision to air his grievances publicly created a clear break with that narrative. Since then, the Beckhams have, per the Daily Mail, kept a stoic silence about their eldest son’s remarks, choosing not to trade statements or escalate the drama in public.
The altered tattoo sits in that silence, a quieter but no less loaded gesture. It is not a press release, yet it is something that cameras can zoom in on, fans can share, and observers can interpret.
Where Nicola Peltz’s Family Fits In
Standing steadily by Brooklyn’s side is his wife, Nicola Peltz Beckham. Her family, headed by billionaire businessman Nelson Peltz, has its own orbit of wealth and influence that now overlaps with the Beckham universe.
Nelson addressed the situation only briefly when he spoke at WSJD’s Invest Live event in West Palm Beach. As reported by the Daily Mail, he was asked about the family tensions and whether he had advised his daughter and son-in-law on how to handle them.
“My daughter and the Beckhams are a whole other story, and that’s not for coverage here today,” he said. “But I’ll tell you my daughter is great, my son-in-law, Brooklyn, is great, and I look forward to them having a long, happy marriage together.”
Pressed on whether he offers them guidance during difficult times, he added, “I do. Sometimes they give me advice.”
The Daily Mail notes that Nelson’s fortune, reportedly around $1.6 billion, significantly exceeds the estimated $680 million wealth associated with the Beckham brand. It is a shift in financial power dynamics that has not gone unnoticed, especially among fans who watched David and Victoria build their empire, piece by piece, from football pitches and pop stages.
Those numbers do not explain a family fallout, but they add texture to the story of a son who has stepped into a new, powerful clan while publicly stepping back from the one that raised him.
What the Tattoos Say About a Famous Family Rift
Tattoos have always played an outsized role in the Beckham mythology. David’s body art helped cement his image as a football rebel turned fashion icon. Brooklyn followed that path, embracing ink as part of his own aesthetic and often choosing designs that honored his parents.
That is what makes the current shift feel so loaded. The anchor with ‘dad’ and ‘Love you Bust’ once looked like a permanent thank-you to the father who brought him to get his first tattoo. Now, the word that tied the design to David appears to be deliberately removed, while David’s ‘Buster’ remains on full display.
Meanwhile, the covered ‘mama’s boy’ tribute to Victoria echoes the same theme. Publicly, Brooklyn has stepped further into life with Nicola, her family, and their shared projects. Privately, at least judging by the ink, his ties to his parents seem less boldly written.
None of this means there will never be a reconciliation. Hollywood families have weathered memoirs, court filings, and televised confrontations, only to reunite years later. For now, though, the story of the Beckhams is written in uneven lines.
A father keeps his ‘Buster’ tattoo. A son fades ‘dad’ from an anchor. Nelson Peltz praises the young couple, while David and Victoria remain publicly quiet. The cameras keep catching every detail, and the rest of the world is left to read between the lines of ink.
