Romeo Beckham, the golden boy of the family, stepped into the limelight to deliver a heartfelt speech at his father David Beckham's 50th birthday bash, in the absence of his elder brother Brooklyn, insiders have disclosed. The football icon marked his milestone half-century with a grand celebration at Core restaurant nestled in the chic Notting Hill area of London. The event was graced by David's younger children: Romeo, aged 22, Cruz, 20, and Harper, 13, who made a united entrance to the festivities. However, Brooklyn Beckham, 26, along with his spouse Nicola Peltz-Beckham, 30, were notably absent from the soirée and have been missing from all birthday-related events over the past week. Consequently, Romeo, as the second eldest, took on the responsibility of delivering a poignant speech at the Core restaurant on Saturday.

The second eldest of the Beckham clan has since broken his silence following his brother's absence sharing a black and white photo alongside his girlfriend Kim Turnbull. According to reports, the two brothers feud is believed to be over Romeo's girlfriend, who reportedly dated Brooklyn back in 2016. The aspiring chef has, according to TMZ, told his family that he will not attend any family occasions that Kim is also invited to. Romeo has since taken to his Instagram stories, following his dad's birthday bash, and shared a photo with his girlfriend with the caption: "My [world - earth emoji]." Kim beamed at the camera in a chic all black dress as she rested her hand on his stomach as the aspiring footballer also donned an all black outfit.

Clutching the first of several cue cards upon his arrival, Romeo addressed the attendees saying, "Good evening everyone. I would like to start by thanking you all for being here tonight. I know without many of you in here tonight he wouldn't be half of the man he is today. But to the man of the moment..."

He reportedly continued to extol his father, whom he had earlier in the week lauded as "the most amazing role model" via a social media post. Photographs shared by Romeo from April 10 also captured him giving a speech during the Miami pre-birthday festivities last month, hinting that he may have anticipated Brooklyn's absence and prepared a speech for the weekend's event, reports The Mirror.

Unlike his younger sibling, Brooklyn was noticeably absent from the festivities, despite receiving an invitation.

After flying into London from their Los Angeles residence last week, Brooklyn and his wife Nicola Peltz chose not to participate in the weekend's celebrations, leaving David and Victoria reportedly feeling let down.

While some attribute the absence to Nicola's influence, Brooklyn has also refrained from posting any birthday wishes for his father on his social media.

The couple skipped both the family gathering in France on Friday and the grand party at the Beckhams' £10million Cotswolds estate on Wednesday evening.

However, David was surrounded by numerous friends and family members who joined him in celebrating until 3am on the weekend.

Notable attendees included actor Tom Cruise, former footballer Gary Neville, and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.

Gary Neville, who recently turned 50 himself, shared a touching tribute to his friend on social media, saying: "Happy 50th mate. You're the best! Stand still today for once and reflect on everything you have achieved and done in these first 50 years of your life.

"We've won, lost, laughed and cried but had the most incredible times together. I can still see our mums and dads in the crowd. Everything you've done has come through humility, care and hard work. I'm proud of you and more importantly trust you with my life. All my love to you."