Cruz Beckham has become the latest subject of online ridicule, with critics labelling his festive activity as the ultimate “nepo baby move” amidst an escalating family feud involving his older brother. The youngest son of fashion mogul Victoria Beckham and football legend David Beckham, Cruz, 20, spent his Christmas and New Year’s Eve at the family’s sprawling Cotswolds estate.
During the holiday period, Cruz and his girlfriend, Jackie Apostel, 30, marked the celebrations by engaging in a rather peculiar pastime: completing a custom jigsaw puzzle. The twist? The puzzle itself featured a large photograph of the couple.
The chosen image for this personal puzzle was captured in October, during the premiere of Victoria Beckham’s highly anticipated three-part Netflix documentary series. Cruz and Jackie made their public debut as a couple at this event, shortly after confirming their relationship. Jackie herself shared a glimpse of their festive activity with her followers on Instagram, posting a photo of Cruz intently focused on placing the final pieces of the oversized puzzle. Evidently amused by the considerable time the task was taking, she captioned the image with a lighthearted, “Omg will it ever end?”
This particular post, which originally appeared on Apostel’s Instagram Story, has resurfaced and drawn significant attention in light of the ongoing Beckham family drama. The feud notably saw Cruz’s older brother, Brooklyn, 26, launch a scathing six-part public critique of the family on Instagram, subsequently cutting off contact with them.
The juxtaposition of Cruz’s seemingly self-indulgent puzzle-building with his brother’s public airing of grievances has not gone unnoticed by online commentators. One critic sarcastically remarked, “Are all the Beckham boys totally self-obsessed? Playing with a jigsaw of yourself has to be up there with one of the most ultimate narcissistic nepo baby moves I’ve ever seen.” Another chimed in with a blunt assessment: “You’re soooo vain!”
Cruz and Jackie officially went “Instagram official” in October 2024, having first been spotted together earlier in the year at the Glastonbury festival. Since then, their relationship has become a consistent presence on Cruz’s social media feeds.
Adding to the narrative of family unity, albeit a selective one, Cruz also publicly demonstrated his support for his mother during the festive period. He shared a photograph of himself with Victoria, taken during their Christmas celebrations. In the image, Cruz sports a festive Santa hat while enjoying a drink, with Victoria smiling beside him, dressed in red plaid pyjamas.
This display of familial togetherness stood in stark contrast to the conspicuous absence of Cruz’s eldest brother, Brooklyn. Brooklyn opted to spend Christmas and usher in the New Year in South Florida with his wife, Nicola Peltz, 31.
While David Beckham has recently shared nostalgic family photographs online, including a throwback image of a teenage Brooklyn, sources suggest these gestures have done little to mend the deepening rift within the family. Insiders have revealed that Brooklyn has confided in friends, stating that his relationship with his parents is effectively “over.” This sentiment follows months of mounting strain, which ultimately culminated in Victoria and David being blocked on Instagram by their eldest son, who has also been vocal about his family issues on the platform.
During the festive season, both David’s mother, Sandra, and Victoria’s mother, Jackie Adams, are understood to have reached out to Brooklyn. This outreach comes after Brooklyn missed every major family event throughout the year, including significant milestones such as David’s 50th birthday celebration and his recent knighthood ceremony.
Despite the public nature of the estrangement, sources close to David and Victoria Beckham indicate that the parents remain hopeful that Brooklyn will eventually end his estrangement from them. One insider commented, “David and Victoria are absolutely steadfast in their belief that this is not the end of the road with their son. They are not prepared to walk away or accept a permanent breakdown, and they still hold on to the hope that things can be repaired in time. Brooklyn will always be their child, and because of that they feel it is important to keep making their feelings known, no matter how difficult or painful the situation becomes.”
Cruz himself has previously confirmed reports that Brooklyn had blocked his entire family from his social media accounts. Addressing the claims directly, Cruz wrote online, “My mum and dad would never unfollow their son… let’s get the facts right. They woke up blocked… as did I.” This statement further underscores the current level of disconnect within the Beckham family.
