Elton John shows faces of his sons, 14 and 12, for the first time

Music legend Elton John has made a break with tradition by sharing the faces of the sons he calls his ‘greatest achievement’ with husband David Furnish in a New Year’s Eve post

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Elton fans were delighted to see the rare family snap with his son’s faces unveiled(Image: Instagram/ @eltonjohn)

Rocketman singer Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish have finally shown their two sons faces on social media – after years of keeping them under wraps.

It’s one of the first times the showbiz couple, who celebrated 20 years of their civil partnership in December, have unveiled their now grown-up-looking sons’ faces since they welcomed them via surrogate – with Zachary now 14 and Elijah, 12.

Breaking tradition by finally offering fans a rare glimpse of what their two growing boys look like, they shared an update on Instagram which revealed a behind-the-scenes look at their New Year’s Eve plans with longtime friend, Italian designer, Donatella Versace.

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Elton and his artist husband David have generally preferred to keep their sons’ faces hidden(Image: UK Press via Getty Images)

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The singing star shared this sweet snap with his boys at a Watford FC match(Image: Instagram/ @eltonjohn)

Elton, 78, and Canadian native David, 63, had until now largely kept their brood off the social media platform, but decided that ringing in New Year’s Eve, as he uploaded the snap of him posing beside his husband and sons, was the right time to renege on that rule.

In the middle of the snap was a beaming Donatella, 70, who had her arms around Elijah’s shoulder, while his older brother, Zachary, stood on the other side of his famous dad.

Captioning the special moment, at London’s swanky Claridge’s hotel, artist David wrote, “Ringing in the New Year Donatella style. Thank you @donatella_versace for the spectacular dinner at @claridgeshotel. We love you. La Famiglia Forever! All the F-J’s want to wish everyone a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!”

Fans were delighted at the unexpected family snap, quickly rushing to the comments section. One wrote, “The F-J family looking sharp. Happy New Year to you all,” and another penned, “Wonderful. Your boys are certainly growing up. What handsome young men. Happy New Year.”

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There have been rare family portraits with their sons over the years, such as this one in 2015(Image: Getty Images for EJAF)

Elton and David reside in Windsor, and their first child Zachary arrived in 2010 on Christmas Day via a surrogate in California.

In a statement released at the time, the overjoyed couple said: “We are overwhelmed with happiness and joy at this very special moment. Zachary is healthy and doing really well, and we are very proud and happy parents.”

Elijah was then born via the same surrogate mother in January 2013, in LA – after which the proud parents said,”The birth of our second son completes our family in a most precious and perfect way.”

The statement released after Elijah’s birth went on to say, “It is difficult to fully express how we are feeling at this time; we are just overwhelmed with happiness and excitement.”

Both Elton and David have spoken extensively about their boys – who were both ring bearers at their parents’ 2014 winter wedding – though fans have rarely seen them snapped over the years.

Though they have appeared in photos before, their family-focused parents have avoided uploading full shots of them in what is thought to be a bid to protect their privacy – choosing to show them either with their backs to the camera or their faces covered.

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Fans got a glimpse of the siblings in 2022 at an Oscars party, posing with Lady Gaga(Image: Getty Images for Neuro Brands, L)

Last year, Elton shared a sweet moment on Instagram when he took his sons to watch his team Watford FC play in their new kit. The hitmaker is an honorary life president of the club, having become a chairperson in 1976.

Standing with their backs to the camera, the father and sons wore jerseys with their names written on the back and had their arms wrapped around each other as they took in the match.

Shortly after his first son was born, Elton admitted it was “the best decision we’ve made”, adding, “You can’t put into words how much love we have for this little boy,” he added.

And when he turned 75 in 2022, Elton penned a moving letter to his sons in Time magazine, sharing life lessons and hopes for the future.

He wrote, “Zachary and Elijah, you two are the greatest gifts I have ever been given. You have filled my heart with love and my life with purpose and meaning in ways I didn’t think were possible. You are my proudest achievements, and I love you both so, so much.”

In the 2024 documentary Elton John: Never Too Late, the music icon shared his fears over his mortality, revealing that his sons “love their daddy, so they want me to be around forever, [and] I would love to be around forever.” He added poignantly, “Time together is so wonderful and so precious.”