Romeo Beckham turned up the heat on Saturday as he went shirtless for a steamy mirror selfie, putting his sculpted torso and expanding tattoo collection on full display.

The 22-year-old, son of David and Victoria Beckham, shared the snap on Instagram Stories, casually flashing the waistband of his black BOSS underwear above his joggers while silver chains completed his laid-back look.

But behind the glossy snapshot of the gym-honed Beckham brother, family tensions continue to simmer — particularly around the glaring absence of eldest son Brooklyn.

Romeo’s post comes just as the family is once again confronting the emotional fallout of Brooklyn’s ongoing estrangement. Despite the rift, grandmother Jackie Adams has been making heartfelt gestures to pull him back home for Christmas, even hanging his personalised stocking on her fireplace and letting the world see it.

Friends close to the family say Jackie and David’s mother Sandra have been “very sad” about the distance, explaining that they were incredibly close to Brooklyn when he was a baby because David and Victoria were travelling constantly for work. As one source put it, “The grandmothers adore Brooklyn — he adored them too — but now they don’t see him.”

Victoria recently posted a video of her mum’s festive display: an impressive row of identical red stockings for Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz, Harper and their cousins, pinned neatly across a stone fireplace. Captioning it with “So many grandchildren!”, the message felt gentle but unmistakably pointed.

While David and Victoria are “making peace” with Brooklyn’s continued absence, sources say the older generation is struggling most. The insider added, “Nobody knows when they will see Brooklyn next — and they’re not getting any younger.”

Brooklyn has been absent from every major moment this year, including David’s milestone 50th birthday and the football legend’s long-awaited investiture at Windsor Castle. His decision to quietly renew wedding vows with Nicola Peltz without informing either grandmother also caused “shock” within the family.

Still, Jackie continues to reach out, even leaving warm comments on Brooklyn’s cooking posts — recently praising his beef wellington with the message: “That looks amazing Brooklyn. Lots of love.”

Romeo, meanwhile, appears to be avoiding the drama entirely — focusing instead on his modelling, his tattoos and the gym, capturing perfect shirtless selfies while the family prepares for yet another Christmas with one stocking still hanging, untouched.