A Cross To Bear

‘EVERYONE, they say, has their cross to bear – but most of us don’t have to carry it around quite as obviously as the Beckhams’ newest arrival.

”Well, if I can get away with wearing a skirt…”

The couple have named their newborn son Cruz, which is of course the Spanish for cross and which also (as the papers delight in pointing out) is actually a girl’s name.

The Star claims the couple are the laughing stock of Spain and ”have let the lad in for a life of mickey-taking and bullying”.

Lola Orla, a Spanish language tutor at Oxford University, said: ”I think it’s a stupid name. They will have problems in Spain because it will be seen as a name for girls.”

Nor is his name the only cross that young Cruz will have to bear.

As he emerged from the Madrid hospital where the 7lb 2oz tot had been delivered by Caesarean section, David revealed that the poor critter ”has Victoria’s nose and lips”.

In other words, he looks like a pouting piglet.

But while it is the choice of name that attracts most derision from the press, the Mirror claims it could have been a whole lot worse.

The Beckhams did apparently consider calling the boy Jesus – but ”feared they would be thought arrogant”.

As for Cruz, theories abound as to why they chose the name.

The Sun offers possible theories – that he was named after Penelope Cruz or even Tom Cruise; that the choice of name was in honour of David’s skill at crossing a football; that it refers to the tattoo he sports on the back of his neck; or even that the child was named after a gay club in Manchester.

But David insisted that they just liked the name.

”We found it hard this time,” he said, ”but came up with a name we both loved, and stuck to it.”

Even after they found out the baby was a boy…’

Posted: 21st, February 2005 | In: Tabloids Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink