Cruz Beckham has published a throwback childhood picture of his estranged brother Brooklyn Beckham on Instagram, despite a legal request from Brooklyn to omit him from family social media posts.
The 21-year-old shared the captionless photo album over the weekend, combining recent family vacation shots with an old image of the siblings beaming at the camera as children.
Brooklyn Beckham, 27, has not been seen with his brothers Cruz, 21, Romeo, 23, or 15-year-old sister Harper since breaking ties with his family. He blocked his parents on Instagram shortly before Christmas last year, and his lawyers later wrote to the Beckhams requesting all future communication be conducted strictly through legal representatives.
Beckham family holiday in Italy
The social media post comes as David and Victoria Beckham continue a summer vacation in Italy with three of their four children, with their eldest son notably absent. Photos shared from the trip show the family taking part in a mozzarella-making workshop and soaking up the sun.
During the European trip, Cruz was seen practicing his music and sharing a selfie with his girlfriend Jackie.
Jackie also documented the vacation on social media, posting photos of herself in a blue bikini, sharing affection with Cruz on a beach trip, and wearing a blue cut-out dress for a family dinner out at a high-end restaurant.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn's wife Nicola Peltz took to Instagram over the weekend to share a picture of her husband as she documented her own summer activities.
David and Victoria return to Portofino
Amid the family getaway, David and Victoria stepped away from their children for a date night at a hotel in Portofino on Saturday evening. The couple returned to the venue 29 years after first visiting in 1997, before their relationship was public knowledge.
David shared a photograph of the evening with the caption: "29 years ago we came to portofino to this hotel before anyone knew we were dating and here we are back again @victoriabeckham Portofino 97." Victoria wore a plunging black lace gown that showed her lingerie underneath as she posed with her husband.
The couple originally began dating in 1997 after David asked to meet Victoria, then known as Posh Spice, having seen her wearing a leather catsuit in the Spice Girls music video for "Say You'll Be There." They were introduced following a charity football match.
David told The Sun at the time: "That's the girl for me and I'm going to get her! She's my idea of perfection. I knew that if she wanted me, we would be together forever." Victoria later reflected on their meeting in a 2016 interview with Vogue, stating that love at first sight existed in the Manchester United players' lounge.
Following weeks of speculation, the couple announced their engagement in January 1998. They later married in an £800,000 ceremony featured on the cover of OK! magazine.
Brooklyn's explosive statement on family rift
The Beckham family had long been recognized for their close public bond until Brooklyn released an explosive statement in January denouncing his family and stating he wanted nothing to do with "Brand Beckham." David and Victoria have never publicly replied to his statement.
In his statement, Brooklyn stated he had stayed silent for years trying to keep matters private, but felt forced to speak out after his parents and their team continued leaking stories to the press. He accused his parents of controlling press narratives throughout his life and placing lies in the media to preserve their public image.
Brooklyn wrote that he was not being controlled by anyone and was standing up for himself for the first time. He stated that performative social media posts, family events, and inauthentic relationships had been fixtures of his upbringing.
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"I do not want to reconcile with my family. I'm not being controlled, I'm standing up for myself for the first time in my life," Brooklyn said in his statement.
He made a series of detailed claims regarding his April 2022 wedding to Nicola Peltz. Brooklyn alleged that his mother cancelled making Nicola's wedding dress at the eleventh hour despite her excitement, forcing her to urgently source an alternative dress.
He also claimed that weeks before the wedding, his parents repeatedly pressured and tried to bribe him into signing away the rights to his name, which would have impacted him, his wife, and their future children. He stated his refusal affected their financial payout and led to his parents treating him differently ever since.
Allegations regarding the wedding and family friction
Brooklyn alleged that during wedding planning, Victoria called him "evil" for seating his Nanny Sandra and Nicola's Naunni at their table because neither grandmother had a husband present, while both sets of parents had adjacent tables. He added that members of his family told him the night before the wedding that Nicola was "not blood" and "not family."
He also accused his mother of hijacking his scheduled first dance with Nicola. Brooklyn stated that host Marc Anthony called him to the stage for what was scheduled to be a romantic dance with his wife to a love song, but Victoria was waiting on stage instead and danced inappropriately on him in front of 500 guests, leaving him humiliated. The couple subsequently planned to renew their vows to create positive memories.
Brooklyn stated that his wife was consistently disrespected by his family and that Victoria repeatedly invited women from his past into their lives to cause discomfort. He added that his brothers were sent to attack him on social media before blocking him out of nowhere last summer.
Describing efforts to connect with his family, Brooklyn claimed he and Nicola travelled to London for David's birthday but were left waiting in a hotel room for a week. He stated David refused to see him unless it was at a 100-guest party surrounded by cameras, or on the condition that Nicola was excluded. He also claimed his family refused to see him when they travelled to Los Angeles, and that Victoria refused to support Nicola's campaign to save displaced dogs during the LA fires.
Brooklyn concluded his statement by stating that his family prioritized public promotion and endorsements above all else. He said that stepping away from his parents resolved the severe anxiety he experienced growing up, adding that he and Nicola seek peace, privacy, and happiness for their future.
