A legal battle and rare red carpet appearance: Michael Jackson’s children now.

Michael Jackson’s three children have spent their entire lives in the spotlight.

Prince, 27, Paris, 25 and Bigi (who was previoualy known to the public as ‘Blanket’), 21, may have been kept relatively protected from the paparazzi under their father’s protective watch, but having the King of Pop as their dad meant the public’s curiosity never waned.

Following the death of the singer in June 2009, the three children were thrust back into the spotlight — and despite their resistance, they’ve never quite led a private life.

“Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just want to say that I love him so much,” said Paris at her father’s funeral, when she was only 11 years old.

Fast-forward to 2024, and it seems they’ve managed to remain close despite leading very separate, indepent lives.

“At this point in our life, it doesn’t really feel like there’s that hierarchy of, ‘I’m the older brother,'” Prince told PEOPLE.

“It’s more [that] we’re all siblings and we’re kind of all on that same level where my sister has her strengths, and my brother has his strengths, and where I’m not as strong in certain areas, they complement me in that way.”

He added that although he and his siblings have busy schedules, they make time for one another whenever possible.

“Any moment that I get to spend with my siblings now, especially as we’re getting older and our own lives are starting to blossom and grow, every moment that I get with them, any little family dinner, any family outing, is really a special moment.”

Paris Jackson, Blanket Jackson and Prince Jackson at the Michael Forever Tribute Concert in 2011. Image: Getty.

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Earlier this week, Prince, Paris and Bigi made an ultra-rare appearance together, attending a red carpet event in honour of their late father for the preview event of MJ: The Musical, in London.

It comes amid a legal battle with their grandmother Katherine Jackson over the late pop star’s estate funds. Earlier this month, Bigi filed to block his grandmother from using his father’s estate money to fund her ongoing legal fight.

Here’s what we know about Prince, Paris and Bigi Jackson today.

Prince Michael Jackson.

Prince is the first child of the singer and his ex-wife, Debbie Rowe. He is now 27 years old.

Following his birth, the singer released a statement demanding privacy for his then-only child.

“Words can’t describe how I feel… I have been blessed beyond comprehension and I will work tirelessly at being the best father that I can possibly be,” Prince’s dad said in a statement. “I grew up in a fish bowl and will not allow the same to happen to my child. Please respect our wishes and give my son his privacy.”

While Prince’s parents divorced in 1999, he lived full-time with his father and grew up in Neverland Ranch along with his two siblings, who were born in 1998 and 2002.

Following Michael Jackson’s death, Prince and his siblings lived with their grandmother, Katherine Jackson. And despite living a life under intense public scrutiny, Prince maintained his privacy as best as he could.

In 2019, he graduated with a degree in business administration from Loyola Marymount University (based in Los Angeles, California). These days, he’s an avid motorcycle fan and has a YouTube channel where he shares his rides across California. Sometimes, he shares his film reviews alongside his little brother Bigi and cousin Taj Jackson.

While at university, he co-founded the charity Heal Los Angeles with a friend and a few years later, in 2020, Prince partnered with a meal delivery service to hand out hot dinners to those who might be in need during the pandemic.

He believes his efforts would have made his father proud.

“I would like to think that he would be very proud because I think this was one of his main goals, was not only to spread his message of positivity and happiness but to see it enacted in his kids,” Prince told Entertainment Tonight.

“I’m very grateful that I have this feeling that it’s this collaborative ecosystem — we all need to help each other — and that came from the way that he raised us.”

In October 2022, at a party to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the singer’s song ‘Thriller’, Prince told PEOPLE what he misses most about his dad.

“I think about him every day,” he said. “What I miss probably the most about him are his hands. He had really strong, really big hands. Firm, but they were gentle. It’s tough to explain.”

On what would have been his dad’s 65th birthday, Prince shared a photo in his honour.

“Happy birthday dad. I miss you and I love you. You may be gone but not forgotten. You’re in our hearts each and every day,” he said.

Paris Jackson.

Paris Jackson at the 32nd Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party, 2024. Image: Getty.

Paris is the only daughter of Michael and his ex-wife, and was born in 1998. She is also the Jackson sibling who seems most comfortable being in the spotlight.

But with her public pursuits including acting and modelling also came her struggles following her father’s death.

She told Rolling Stone she’d attempted suicide “multiple times” by the time she was 15 years old and in 2015, she was hospitalised for another possible attempt on her own life.

“It was just self-hatred,” she shared in 2017. “Low self-esteem, thinking that I couldn’t do anything right, not thinking I was worthy of living anymore.”

In 2019, Paris sought treatment for her physical and emotional difficulties.

“She checked herself into a treatment facility to aid in her wellness plan and is looking forward to coming out of this revitalised and ready to tackle the exciting new projects that await her,” a source told PEOPLE at the time.

Following her mental health struggle, Paris opened up about rekindling her relationship with her mother.

“It’s cool getting to know her, seeing how similar we are, getting into what kind of music she likes…,” she said on Red Table Talk. “We look a lot alike. It’s just cool having her as a friend. It’s very chill, which I love. That’s the perfect word to describe it.”

She’s also been open about her sexuality, which she doesn’t label, saying in 2021, “I wouldn’t consider myself bisexual because I’ve dated more than just men and women.”

Paris has since followed in her legendary father’s footsteps and pursued music, having been in several bands and released both EPs and Wilted, a full-length album. “Everyone in my family does music. I mean, I’m a Jackson,” she said to Variety in 2020. “It makes sense that I’m a musician but like, a Jackson doing folk indie?”

Aside from her work in music, Paris is a model and actress. She is the current face of KVD Beauty and has appeared in American Horror Story, Hulu’s teen comedy Sex Appeal, and in 2023, Prime Video’s Swarm.

Paris Jackson in Swarm. Image: Prime Video.

In August 2023, all three of the Jackson kids celebrated what would have been his 65th birthday. Prince and Bigi hosted a Q&A for fans, and Paris paid tribute to her dad during a show at the Las Colonias Park Amphitheatre in Colorado.

“It’s my dad’s birthday,” she said to the crowd. “He would have been 65 years old today. He put 50 years of blood, sweat and tears and love and passion into doing what he did so that I can stand up here on stage and scream into a microphone. I owe everything to him.”

Bigi ‘Blanket’ Jackson.

Bigi and Paris at MJ: The Musical opening night, 2024. Image: Getty.

Of the three Jackson children, Bigi keeps the lowest profile.

He was born via surrogate in 2002 as Prince Michael Jackson II, and was known to the public as Blanket for many years. In 2015, he changed his name to Bigi.

Bigi is close to his older brother Prince, with a family friend telling PEOPLE in 2019 that they are “best friends”.

Bigi rarely gives interviews but in 2021, he did speak to Good Morning Britain about his intention to help change the world, and was using his celebrity status to call on world leaders to tackle climate change.

“That’s what each of us [siblings] wants to do — make things that people enjoy but also benefit their lives,” he said. “I do think it’s important we all know about it. We have some work to do but our generation knows how important it is.”

While Bigi rarely involves himself in family matters publicly, last week his grandmother fired back at him after he objected to her using funds from his father’s estate to pay her legal fees in an ongoing dispute with the executors over the singer’s $917 million catalogue sale to Sony.

In court filings, she alleges the executors of the singer’s estate are being too frugal with how the money is being awarded to its beneficiaries. She also argued that they can afford to cover the costs she is requesting, which is alleged to be $764,000.

Katherine is not a beneficiary of the estate like the singer’s children, but rather the sole beneficiary of a sub-trust in Michael’s will. Earlier this month, Bigi claimed the Jackson estate wouldn’t “benefit” from paying for Katherine’s pending appeal against co-executors John Branca and John McClain, who wanted approval to move forward with an unnamed “recent transaction.”

Feature Image: Getty Images.