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My little sister is one of the most precious people in my life. One of my greatest loves. And as I get older, I hold that truth tighter every year.

Because when our parents are gone, our siblings become the only living witnesses to our whole life.

There's a famous line from the 90s hit song 'Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)':

"Be nice to your siblings; they're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future."

That line hits harder every year. Because a sibling is so much more than just family.

They are the only ones who understand in-jokes about the chaotic family fridge, or who collectively shudder at how thickly cut the devon was in our school lunch boxes.

Watch: When two of Brooklyn Beckham's ex-girlfriends spoke out. Post continues below.

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Two of Brooklyn Beckham's ex girlfriends have spoken out | Mamamia Out Loud

They share the memory of lying deathly still on Christmas Eve, listening to 'Santa' fumble the presents out of the boot. They remember the made-up games, the dress-ups, and the dance concerts staged in the living room in front of the record player.

And when our grandparents or parents are gone, our siblings are the only ones who can keep that legacy alive; who remember the feeling of being held in their arms.

There is no performance required, no edited version of yourself. Just the relief of being completely known.

And when you have children of your own, a sibling becomes something else again. They are the people who will love your kids as fiercely as you do.

That's why the latest Beckham headlines sting.

The fracture in the Beckham fairytale.

Romeo Beckham, Harper Beckham, David Beckham, Victoria Beckham and Cruz Beckham at the ceremony to honour David Beckham with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Image: Getty.

It has been almost five months since Brooklyn Beckham posted those six slides to his Instagram story, publicly airing his family's private drama.

Five months since he confirmed an estrangement that had been rumoured for some time.

Over the weekend, the Beckham family attended David's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in Los Angeles.

Brooklyn and his wife, Nicola Peltz, were notably not in attendance.

After the event, 14-year-old Harper Beckham reportedly tried to visit her brother, Brooklyn, at his home.

Paparazzi photos showed Harper arriving to hand-deliver a letter to her brother, who was out of town at the time. She was still wearing the baby pink dress she'd worn to the Walk of Fame ceremony.

Following the publication of the images, Brooklyn claimed the entire interaction was a setup.

"That photographers were in place as the letter was hand-delivered says it all; this was choreographed for the cameras," his representative told Page Six.

Regardless of the truth behind the visit, it remains a devastating sequence of events.

Stripped of the celebrity glare, Harper is also just a 14-year-old girl, trying to connect with her eldest brother.

A quiet, familiar grief.

Brooklyn and Harper had always been close. Instagram/brooklynbeckham

It immediately made me think of my own family.

My dad is in his seventies now. While he remains close with his sister, his older brother hasn't spoken to him in years, for reasons that aren't my story to tell.

But my dad has generously given his blessing for me to share his quiet pain.

As his daughter, it is devastating to watch. To witness him grieve a brother who is still very much alive.

As a mother to two young sons, the thought of this happening to my own boys when they grow up completely breaks my heart.

I often think of my late grandmother.

When we'd drive up to visit, she'd make an English stew with dumplings. Great, fluffy, pillowy things that were as warm and cup-filling as she was. 

She had that same quality in everything she did: an uncomplicated, nurturing, steady kind of love that made you feel held.

My dad inherited every single one of those traits.

I know that if my beautiful Nanny were still alive, it would shatter her to know the boys she lovingly raised now live in total silence.

Watching my sons grow up, I live in hope that they will choose to be each other's allies and confidants as they become men.

That they will be the keeper of each other's secrets, the witnesses to each other's lives, the ones who turn up for each other's children.

Just as my sister is to me.

The ultimate loss.

Behind the celebrity gossip, there is real tragedy playing out.

Of all the relationships we can lose in this life, sibling alienation is surely the saddest.

I hope the Beckham siblings find peace and a way back to one another because, beneath the headlines, they are still just people who share a childhood.

And if my uncle happens to read this, please know it is never too late. My dad loves you. We all do.

I think of nanny's dumplings, the way she'd set a bowl in front of you without ceremony, just warmth, just presence.

That's what family at its best can be. And that's what's waiting, if you're ever ready to come back to the table.

Feature Image: Instagram/brooklynbeckham