Brooklyn Beckham, 26, has appeared to cover up his “mama’s boy” chest tattoo in a new Instagram post that shows a floral design where the tribute to Victoria Beckham once sat.
The aspiring chef and husband of Nicola Peltz, 31, previously inked the phrase on his left pec at age 18 and had added to the area over the years. Recent topless photos shared to his Instagram feed reveal what looks like a bouquet of flowers covering the spot, marking the latest physical erasure of his family ties amid a bitter estrangement that has played out publicly since January.
This cover-up follows reports that Brooklyn has also had laser treatment to remove the word “Dad” and the nickname “Bust” from an anchor tattoo on his right arm. A source said: “Brooklyn’s had laser treatment on the writing. He wanted it gone.” The source added: “There is so much hurt and pain on his side, it would not be genuine to keep such a tribute on his body.”
The tattoo removals stand in sharp contrast to Brooklyn’s ongoing devotion to his wife Nicola, whose image dominates his body art collection. Of roughly 100 tattoos, around 70 are dedicated to Nicola, including her eyes on the back of his neck, their wedding vows down his arm, and most recently a Star of David on his left hand honoring her Jewish heritage. He has also incorporated her surname into his own, now going by Brooklyn Joseph Peltz Beckham.
While Brooklyn erases his family ink, his younger brother Romeo, 23, has moved in the opposite direction. Romeo recently unveiled a new “family” tattoo in italic script on the back of his neck, positioned beneath a cross and wings he already had. The post, shared by Soho tattoo parlour Fine Line Hearts Club, drew comments including “Minus Brooklyn” and “Family is FOREVER” from followers aware of the rift.
Cruz Beckham, 21, has also signaled a different path than his eldest brother. On Brooklyn’s 27th birthday on March 4, Cruz posted a childhood photo of the brothers with the caption “I love you,” and told reporters “I hope to” when asked about potential reconciliation. Cruz had previously claimed that he and his parents “woke up blocked” from Brooklyn’s social media last summer.
Victoria Beckham, 51, broke her silence on the estrangement in a Wall Street Journal Magazine interview, declining to mention Brooklyn by name. “I think that we’ve always — we love our children so much,” she said. “We’ve always tried to be the best parents that we can be. And you know, we’ve been in the public eye for more than 30 years right now, and all we’ve ever tried to do is protect our children and love our children. And you know, that’s all I really want to say about it.”
David Beckham, 50, has taken a different approach, addressing the situation on CNBC’s Squawk Box without naming his son directly. “I’ve tried to do the same with my children, to educate them. They make mistakes. Children are allowed to make mistakes. That’s how they learn. So, that’s what I try to teach my kids,” he said. “You have to sometimes let them make those mistakes.” He also included Brooklyn in a Father’s Day social media tribute to all his children, though Brooklyn did not publicly acknowledge the post.
In the viral moment that ignited the current phase of the feud, Brooklyn posted a lengthy statement to his Instagram Stories in January that laid out explosive allegations against his parents. He claimed they had tried to “ruin” his relationship with Nicola since before their April 2022 wedding, alleging Victoria cancelled making Nicola’s dress at the eleventh hour and that both parents pressured him to sign away the rights to his name. He wrote that family members told him Nicola was “not blood” and “not family” on his wedding night, and accused Victoria of hijacking his first dance and dancing “very inappropriately” on him in front of 500 guests. “I do not want to reconcile with my family,” he declared. “I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.”
Brooklyn has since continued to make what some interpret as subtle digs at his family, including in a DoorDash World Cup advert where he lounged on a couch and told the camera “It’s a long story” when explaining why he was watching from home. Nicola has also faced scrutiny for social media posts, including one from her brother Will Peltz’s wedding where she called his bride Kenya Kinski-Jones “finally” her “dream sister” — wording that struck some followers as a swipe at Harper Beckham, 14, whom Nicola had previously called her “perfect dream little sister.”
The Beckham family continues to present a united front without Brooklyn, with Victoria, David, Romeo, Cruz and Harper appearing together at Paris Fashion Week in March for Victoria’s Fall/Winter 2026-2027 show. Victoria shared a photo of herself with Harper, Cruz and Romeo, captioning it “Thank you for always being there to support me. I love you all so much.”
Brooklyn and Nicola were absent from the Paris trip and have built their life in Los Angeles, where they are reportedly planning to adopt a child together.