It was a night for Romeo Beckham’s nearest and dearest to celebrate his 23rd milestone.

Romeo celebrated a special occasion at Aki, an upscale Japanese restaurant in central London, which is set to open to the public on September 23. His parents, David, 50, and Victoria, 51, were present to celebrate with him.

Also attending the celebration were Romeo’s younger brother Cruz, 20, accompanied by his girlfriend Jackie Apostel, 30, whose striking resemblance to Victoria was noticeable in her tiny black mini dress. Romeo’s younger sister, Harper, 14, was also there.

But there was of course one of the Beckham clan missing – Romeo’s older sibling Brooklyn, 26.

Family members have come to terms with the absence of his brother Brooklyn and Brooklyn’s wife, Nicola Peltz, 30, at family gatherings. Yet, Brooklyn’s absence was still felt at the event, adding a touch of melancholy for some attendees.

And he certainly missed a good night.

Romeo Beckham cut a trendy figure in a black leather jacket as he celebrated his 23rd birthday with family at the lavish London venue Aki on Friday 

A source close to Romeo told Daily Mail: ‘It was a lovely, low key night to celebrate Romeo. 

The gathering included several of Romeo’s friends, along with family members, aiming to make the night unforgettable for him. It has been a challenging year for the Beckhams.

‘It went on quite late and there were a lot of people tired on Saturday morning, everyone let their hair down and it was great fun.’

The rift between the Beckham brothers means it was unlikely Romeo would have invited Brooklyn, a situation that David and Victoria now accept as the current reality.

‘They know that Brooklyn doesn’t want to be part of their family,’ says a source connected to the Beckhams.

Although Brooklyn’s absence might seem significant from the outside, within the family, it has become the norm. While it’s a source of sadness, David and Victoria understand the situation. They would love to have him close again, but it isn’t possible at the moment.

The group dined on sushi and drank cocktails, wine and champagne before singing happy birthday to Romeo.

While there was no official dress code, black was certainly the theme of the night. Posh showed who was boss when it came to the fashion stakes, opting for a sheer floor length frock. 

Also there was younger brother Cruz, 20, and his girlfriend Jackie Apostel, 30, – who dressed in a tiny black mini dress looked remarkably like Posh

Romeo teamed his black leather jacket with a black graphic T-shirt and matching wide-leg trousers 

He sported a pair of chunky white-and-black Nike trainers as he arrived at the hotspot in Marylebone

Meanwhile, Cruz clearly missed the memo with a lairy blue and cream shirt and jeans

David layered a plain white T-shirt underneath his smart ensemble and sported a pair of black leather shoes as he arrived at the venue 

The father of four looked ready to celebrate his son’s 23rd birthday – but one person was notably missing: his son Brooklyn 

While her mini-me Harper also wore a long dress though appeared camera shy as she walked into the venue on Friday night.

Romeo, who split from his girlfriend Kim Turnbull in June, went for a black leather bandana and matching jacket, while in keeping with the black theme, David looked dapper in a suit with a white t-shirt underneath.

Jackie stunned in a black mini dress with her hair scraped back into a ponytail and sunglasses – a look that Victoria has gone for in years gone by. 

Meanwhile, Cruz clearly missed the memo with a lairy blue and cream shirt and jeans.

Romeo celebrated his birthday on Monday, and it was evident then that he is not in Brooklyn’s good books. 

Victoria opted for adding inches to her frame with a pair of black open-toe heels and toted her essentials in a mini black handbag 

She further accessorised her look with a dainty necklace and a gold wrist watch 

While her mini-me Harper also wore a long dress though appeared camera shy as she walked into the venue on Friday night 

The influencer, who shunned all of his father’s 50th birthday celebrations earlier this year, failed to wish his younger brother a happy birthday on social media while the rest of the family took to Instagram to share their love for him.

David was first to celebrate Romeo’s big day, sharing a childhood snap of his middle son and writing: ‘You are kind, humble, polite, hard working and the most special person to everyone we love you so much.’

He added: ‘Have the most special day HAPPY BIRTHDAY big boy.’

Former Spice Girl star Victoria uploaded a recent snap of Romeo from their summer holiday, captioning it: ‘Happy birthday! You are our everything, we love you so much. Your love and kindness fills our hearts every day!’