Brooklyn Beckham vs Rocco Ritchie: a new generation steps into the spotlight

One is the Beckhams’ eldest boy, the other the son of Madonna and Guy Ritchie, and now they’re stepping into the spotlight. We hail a new generation

Famous families: left, Brooklyn Beckham accompanying mother Victoria to this year's Glamour Awards; right, Rocco Ritchie performing with mum Madonna in New York’s Gagosian Gallery

Their mums were once pop world rivals, their dads are both London boys, but now Rocco Ritchie, 13, is lending Brooklyn Beckham, 14, a hand in the social media circus. Ritchie instagrammed Beckham’s account, saying: “Shout out to home boy @bbrooklynbbeckham #follow”. Madonna’s sprog is a big deal on Instagram, with 37,875 followers to Beckham’s 14,388. But how do they fare in the rest of their lives? Step aside for the next generation, with Brooklyn versus Rocco. Maybe this is the start of a beautiful partnership — Brocco?

The connections

Brooklyn

The eldest child of Brand Beckham, Brooklyn is apparently named after the New York borough where he was conceived. He’s got a gaggle of photogenic siblings — Romeo, 11, Cruz, eight, and Harper, two. A photo of him carrying his fashionable little sister with the caption “love u guys” will warm even the chilliest cockles.

Brooklyn often accompanies his Spice-Girl-turned-fashion-darling mother to events: while accepting a gong at the Glamour Woman of the Year Awards, VB called him “the most handsome man in the room”. His dad David often watches his eldest lad play football — though godparents Elton John and Liz Hurley have yet to be spotted on the sidelines.

Rocco

Rocco is the only natural child of the Madonna and Guy Ritchie union. But company comes in the form of five siblings: Lourdes, 17, his half-sister from Madonna’s relationship with Carlos Leon, David, eight, whom his parents adopted together from Malawi, Mercy James, seven, a Malawian child adopted by Madge, and Ritchie’s two young children from his second marriage to model Jacqui Ainsley.

Rocco also scored a singer as a godfather: Sting. He gets on well with his mum’s new man, Brahim Zaibat — there’s a picture of them with scarves wrapped round their heads, saying: “Me and @bramski6 are party animals we went #zodd #cajj.”

And although he seems tough, he’s really a mummy’s boy — he instagrammed a picture of Elizabeth II, saying: “There’s only one Queen, and that’s Madonna ... Bitch.” He recently joined Madge on stage as a masked dancer to launch new film Secret Revolution and is a fan of flaunting the guns, suggesting he’s taking her image tips. Is a set of matching grills to come?

Star turns: Brooklyn Beckham with Justin Bieber