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Cruz Beckham's girlfriend has praised his mother Victoria in a pointed statement amid the famous family's shocking feud with son Brookly and his wife Nicola Peltz.
Jackie Apostel, 30, who has been dating the youngest Beckham boy, 20, since 2024, was present in Paris when the family matriarch, 51, was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in Paris on Monday.
A gaping absence was felt at the ceremony in the form of estranged son Brooklyn, 26, who shook the family to its core last week by releasing an explosive statement vowing to never reconcile with the 'performative' Beckhams.
The family have maintained a resounding silence in the wake of the announcement, however Jackie seemed keen to remain in Victoria's good books as she shared a gushing - and seemingly pointed - message to the star on Instagram.
Alongside a picture of the family and Romeo's girlfriend Kim Turnbull, she penned: 'Congratulations, Victoria Beckham...
Cruz Beckham's girlfriend has praised his mother Victoria in a pointed statement amid the famous family's shocking feud with son Brookly and his wife Nicola Peltz
Jackie Apostel, 30, who has been dating the youngest Beckham boy, 20, since 2024, was present in Paris when the family matriarch, 51, was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in Paris on Monday.
Victoria Beckham paid tribute to her husband David and their children as she was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in Paris on Monday - but not all of their brood turned out to support her
'Your drive, creativity, resilience but most importantly kindness and respect towards anyone around you are some of the many reason[s] why you deserve this and more...
'You life us up constantly and it's so beautiful to witness your hard work be recognised. We love you!!!'
The formerly inseparable Beckhams missed out on Brooklyn's presence at the momentuous ceremony, in which Victoria thanked her children.
It marks only the latest family event to be snubbed by the aspiring chef, after he was previously a no-show at his father's milestone 50th birthday bash, the UK launch of his mother's Netflix show and to see David be knighted at Windsor Castle.
They appeared determined not to allow their family drama to overshadow Victoria's big day, as she was presented with the prestigious accolade by the French Ministry of Culture.
The award recognises the individual contributions of artists, writers, and cultural figures to the arts and literature, and previous recipients include Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, Jude Law and Denis Villeneuve.
Last week, the eldest Beckham son, 26, launched an extraordinary online attack on his parents, accusing David, 50, and Victoria, 51, of trying to 'ruin' his marriage
Jackie threw her support behind boyfriend Cruz's mum at the event on Monday
In her acceptance speech, the Spice Girl made special mention of her children, as she thanked them for 'always believing in my vision', despite Brooklyn's recent vitriolic claims against her.
She was presented the prestigious honour by the French Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, who introduced her with an effusive speech.
Praising her fashion talents, she said: 'You offered millions of young girls a new representation of themselves. For many you were a true role model, inspiring for each and every one of us a taste of freedom and boldness.'
Taking to the podium in front of the star-studded crowd, with her family stood proudly in front, Victoria began: 'I'd like to start by thanking the French ministry of culture and the Minister of Culture, Madame Rachida Dati. For this honour and for your kind words, I am extremely grateful.
Brooklyn is seen with parents in 2019
'I am so proud to be British, but France is one of the few places where fashion is treated with the seriousness it deserves as a form of art.'
While she then shared special thanks to her business partners and team at her fashion and makeup brand, Victoria Beckham, as well as her kids and beloved husband of 26 years.
'This is not the achievement of just one person,' she declared. 'From design and the atelier, to the production and communication teams, and the many minds and hands working together - it is a collaborative effort, and this distinction isn't mine alone. So I'd like to thank my incredible team for their dedication, creativity and trust.'
David beamed with pride as he watched on, with son Cruz seen laying a supportive hand on his shoulder, as Victoria thanked him 'for seeing my passion for this business and my determination to build something that we could both be really proud of'.
The Beckham clan appeared determined not to allow their family drama to overshadow Victoria's big day, as she was presented with the prestigious accolade by the French Ministry of Culture
Brooklyn Beckham's statement in full
I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private. Unfortunately, my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed.
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. For my entire life, my parents have controlled narratives in the press about our family. The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into.
Recently, I have seen with my own eyes the lengths that they'll go through to place countless lies in the media, mostly at the expense of innocent people, to preserve their own facade. But I believe the truth always comes out.
My parents have been trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding, and it hasn't stopped. My mum cancelled making Nicola's dress in the eleventh hour despite how excited she was to wear her design, forcing her to urgently find a new dress.
Weeks before our big day, my parents repeatedly pressured and attempted to bribe me into signing away the rights to my name, which would have affected me, my wife, and our future children.
They were adamant on me signing before my wedding date because then the terms of the deal would be initiated. My holdout affected the payday, and they have never treated me the same since.
During the wedding planning, my mum went so far as to call me "evil" because Nicola and I chose to include my Nanny Sandra, and Nicola's Naunni at our table, because they both didn't have their husbands. Both of our parents had their own tables equally adjacent to ours.
The night before our wedding, members of my family told me that Nicola was "not blood" and "not family." Since the moment I started standing up for myself with my family, I've received endless attacks from my parents, both privately and publicly, that were sent to the press on their orders.
Even my brothers were sent to attack me on social media, before they ultimately blocked me out of nowhere this last Summer.
My mum hijacked my first dance with my wife, which had been planned weeks in advance to a romantic love song. In front of our 500 wedding guests, Marc Anthony called me to the stage, where in the schedule was planned to be my romantic dance with my wife but instead my mum was waiting to dance with me instead.
She danced very inappropriately on me in front of everyone. I've never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life. We wanted to renew our vows so we could create new memories of our wedding day that bring us joy and happiness, not anxiety and embarrassment.
My wife has been consistently disrespected by my family, no matter how hard we've tried to come together as one. My mum has repeatedly invited women from my past into our lives in ways that were clearly intended to make us both uncomfortable.
Despite this, we still travelled to London for my dad's birthday and were rejected for a week as we waited in our hotel room trying to plan quality time with him. He refused all of our attempts, unless it was at his big birthday party with a hundred guests and cameras at every corner.
When he finally agreed to see me, it was under the condition that Nicola wasn't invited. It was a slap in the face. Later, when my family travelled to LA, they refused to see me at all.
My family values public promotion and endorsements above all else. Brand Beckham comes first. Family "love" is decided by how much you post on social media, or how quickly you drop everything to show up and pose for a family photo opp, even if it's at the expense of our professional obligations.
We've gone out of our way for years to show up and support at every fashion show, every party, and every press activity to show 'our perfect family.' But the one time my wife asked for my mum's support to save displaced dogs during the LA fires, my mum refused.
The narrative that my wife controls me is completely backwards. I have been controlled by my parents for most of my life. I grew up with overwhelming anxiety. For the first time in my life, since stepping away from my family, that anxiety has disappeared.
I wake up every morning grateful for the life I chose, and have found peace and relief. My wife and I do not want a life shaped by image, press, or manipulation. All we want peace, privacy and happiness for us and our future family."
English (US) ·