Michael Jackson's children make a rare public appearance together: After ... trends now
Michael Jackson's children appeared to be feeling the burden of their father's legacy as they attended the premiere of a controversial musical based on his life in London.
Sons Prince and Blanket, together with daughter Paris, turned out for a rare united appearance at a preview of MJ: The Musical at the Prince Edward Theatre in London on Wednesday night - possibly their first public turnout as a trio in over a decade.
But while 27-year-old Prince smiled for photographs on the red carpet, Paris, 25, and Blanket, 22, were somewhat more muted as they stared down the flashbulbs of the waiting photographers.
The trio were once all smiles as they were pictured together as youngsters in 2012 - snapped at a handprint ceremony outside Los Angeles' Chinese Theatre for their father almost 12 years ago.
But since then, years after the singer's death from a drug-related cardiac arrest, further allegations have emerged against the King of Pop - potentially casting a shadow over his offspring's lives.
Michael Jackson's children (L-R) Prince, Paris and Blanket Jackson lead the stars attending the press night of MJ: The Musical at the Prince Edward Theatre in London on Wednesday
Blanket, Prince and Paris are rarely seen together in public and their showing for the Soho premiere may be the first joint appearance in over a decade (seen here in 2012)
The theatre will play host to the musical - which was nominated for 10 Tony Awards - based on the legendary entertainer's life
However, Paris and Blanket - who now goes by Bigi - appeared to be showing the strain of bearing their father's legacy
Michael Jackson's children with the singer in a picture shared by Prince on Instagram
While Paris and Prince have become celebrities in their own right, Blanket (left) is rarely seen in public. The three are pictured here in Indiana in 2012
Prince and Paris, born to Jackson's then-wife Debbie Rowe, and Blanket, born via artificial insemination with an anonymous surrogate mother, have childhoods unlike those of most youngsters, even those born to celebrities with Jackson's star power.
Paris and Prince regularly turn out for events - but Blanket is rarely seen with them. He may have last joined his brother and sister on a red carpet as long ago as 2012, reports Hola!.
He even changed his name - ditching the moniker 'Blanket' and going as 'Bigi' instead.
The reclusive son has tended to prefer a low profile since his childhood, letting his older brother and sister take the limelight. Some in his family have speculated whether he gets his fear of being recognised from his 'Thriller' singer father.
The preview of the MJ musical, then - which controversially shies away from accusations of paedophilia the star faced in the 1990s, at the time the stage show is set - is a rare united showing for the junior Jackson trio, at a time of particular stress.
Bigi has been unwittingly thrust into the spotlight more recently amid a legal battle with his grandmother and one-time legal guardian, Katherine Jackson.
Katherine, 93, is appealing against a plan to sell off publishing rights to Jackson's back catalogue - and wants the singer's estate to pay her legal fees in the dispute.
The youngest Jackson had maintained that Katherine should pay her own legal costs, said to be around half a million US dollars, if she wished to contest the decision.
Bigi, Prince and Paris approved of a plan last year, proposed by the executors of Jackson's estate, to sell publishing rights and recorded masters to Sony for a reported $600million.
Katherine is not a direct beneficiary of Jackson's estate, instead receiving money from a sub trust created in the singer's will.
But the King of Pop's mother sought to have her legal fees in the appeal covered by Jackson's estate, of which the three children are direct beneficiaries.
In a filing obtained by People, Katherine maintains that the estate, valued at $1.5 billion, can afford to pay her legal fees and should do so.
In court documents, lawyers acting for the youngest of MJ's children said Katherine's efforts to oppose the sale were an 'extreme longshot' and a 'waste' of resources.
Nominated for 10 Tony Awards, MJ stars Myles Frost as Michael Jackson and looks back at the pop singer's early childhood and the peak of his musical career.
But given its 1990s setting - ahead of the the star's Dangerous world tour - the illustrious history of his children does not make the cut.
Born in February 1997, eldest child Prince - full name Michael Joseph Jackson Jr - has famous godparents in the form of actors Macaulay Culkin and the late Elizabeth Taylor, both close friends of the King of Pop.
At the time of his birth, Michael said he felt 'blessed beyond comprehension' to have become a father.
Prince went on to study for a business administration degree and co-founded a charity, Heal Los Angeles, supporting young people in inner city areas of the Californian metropolis.
And these days, he keeps himself busy on YouTube, where he shares vlogs of his life, including a recent trip to Las Vegas to mark his father's 65th birthday in Las Vegas and road trips on his prized motorbike.
'I would like to think that he would be very proud,' Prince, now 26, said of his father at the time in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.
Blanket was embroiled in scandal almost immediately after his birth. At only nine months old, he became the center of controversy after his dad held him over the edge of a balcony (above)
Since his father's death, the singer's youngest son, previously known as Blanket but now goes by Bigi, has lived a relatively quiet life (seen as a child with Jackson and his siblings)
The Jackson children's faces were often covered with fabric and other bizarre masks as the singer faced accusations of child molestation
Michael passed away on June 25, 2009 - when Blanket was seven - and for the first time in his life, the world got a clear look at his face when he attended the memorial service
Blanket is now attempting to stop MJ's mother Katherine (seen with Blanket in 2009) from using his late father's estate money to fund her legal battle with the singer's estate
Michael's legacy has fallen under renewed scrutiny because of the long-running accusations that he sexually abused children; he and Katherine are pictured outside the trial in 2005
In the years that followed, the three Jackson children made rare appearances at various events and red carpets, but they mostly lived normal lives out of the spotlight (seen together in 2012)
Prince, Blanket and Paris Jackson attending their father's handprint ceremony at the Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles in 2012
Blanket has mostly stayed out of the public eye - occasionally appearing in snaps shared by his siblings on social media (such as here in 2017)
Prince and Bibi pictured at an event together in Los Angeles. The London outing may be the first time they have been pictured as a trio with Paris in public in over a decade
Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson was born on April 3 1998, named after the city in which she was conceived - and struggled
