Michael Jackson’s eldest child Prince turns 24 years of age today (February 13), however he doesn’t often get involved in the showbiz world, unlike little sister Paris Jackson, 22.
But the King of Pop’s offspring has still had a busy and fulfilling life, furthering his education, kickstarting a presenting career and getting involved in big charitable events recently.
Throughout their childhood, Prince, Paris and their younger brother Blanket, 18 – who is now known as Bigi – often wore masks to conceal their identities when out in public with their famous dad.
Now though, they’re stepping out on their own – but what has MJ’s oldest son Prince been up to?
Real name
Prince Jackson shares his real name with his dad, Michael (Image: © LOS ANGELES SUPERIOR COURT/PAN)
Prince was born Michael Joseph Jackson Jr on February 13, 1997, but is known publicly as Prince, which was reportedly a nickname given to him by his family when he was a baby.
Last year though, the 24-year-old spoke of how proud he was to share a name with his superstar father.
Speaking on This Morning to Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford, he said: “Not a lot of people know that that’s my name, and I’m very proud to share the same name as my father.
“Sharing such a powerful name, there is – I don’t want to say a pressure or weight, because that gives a negative connotation – but there is this legacy that my father worked very hard to build and to maintain.
“I feel that it’s my position in my life and with everything that I’ve been given, I just want to expand that legacy to improve it and to just bring it and keep it.”
He added: “I feel such a pride for it, it’s his legacy and he worked so hard for it.”
Parentage rumours
Prince Jackson’s parents are Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe (Image: REUTERS)
While Michael Jackson was live, he and his kids were constantly dogged by rumours and speculation that he was not their father.
Prince’s mother, like Paris, is Debbie Rowe, to whom MJ was married between 1996 and 1999.
After the divorce, she handed over custody to Michael, who took full responsibility for raising them.
In 2009, Debbie claimed that she never had sex with Michael and was artificially inseminated.
Paris and Prince share the same parents (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
She told a British newspaper: “They impregnated me. It’s just like I impregnate my mares for breeding. It was very technical.
“Just like I stick the sperm up my horse, this is what they did to me. I was his thoroughbred.”
Rowe also claimed that a sperm donor had been used.
Over the years, a number of people have claimed to be, or suggested they may be, the biological father of Paris and Prince.
Former child actor Mark Lester claimed he donated sperm to Michael, and said his eldest daughter “looks like Paris”.
Prince has always rubbished speculation about who his dad is, saying it doesn’t matter (Image: Prince Michael/ Instagram)
Michael’s friend Jason Pfeiffer claimed to the Sunday Mirror that the singer had told him that he had used Mark’s sperm with Debbie’s pregnancies.
Before his death, Dr Arnie Klein – who Rowe worked with – appeared to suggest he was the father, as he shared a photo of himself and one of prince, with the caption: “Hmmm.”
However Prince has made it clear that he doesn’t care about biology – Michael is his father.
He once responded to a troll, writing: “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb… I was raised by my dad with my brother and sister.”
And in 2017, he told Rolling Stone: “Every time someone asks me that, I ask, ‘What’s the point? What difference does it make?’ Specifically to someone who’s not involved in my life. How does that affect your life? It doesn’t change mine.”
Net worth
Prince Jackson is thought to be worth around $100million thanks to his inheritance from MJ (Image: Corbis via Getty Images)
Prince’s dad Michael died unexpectedly on June 25, 2009.
It was estimated that the 50-year-old had a net worth of $500million (£367m) at the time of his death, meaning his three children would inherit a fortune.
In October 2009, TMZ reported that his mother Katherine Jackson received 40% of his estate, as well as a monthly payment of $86,804 (£63,630) until her death, which would then be given to his children.
Like with Katherine, 40% of Michael’s estate went to his children, getting a yearly allowance of $8m (£5.86m) each.
That means that Prince and his two siblings each have an estimated net worth of around $100m (£73.3m).
Romance
Prince Jackson has been dating Molly Schirmang since early 2017 (Image: Getty Images)
It is believed that Prince’s girlfriend since March 2017 is called Molly, with reports suggesting her surname is Schirmang.
They confirmed their romance in 2018 after meeting through friends while studying at Loyola Marymount University, California.
Prince shared a photo to Instagram with Molly, and wrote about celebrating a year together, with his sister Paris commenting how it “warms her heart” to see them happy together.
Since then, Prince has shared a number of photos with Molly, included when they graduated in May 2019.
Prince and his girlfriend Molly met at university through friends (Image: princejackson/Instagram)
They have even stepped out to public events together,
Speaking to People, Prince said: “I think in everything there’s an important balance.
“I think that I’m a certain way, and she’s very – I don’t want to say opposite – but complementary in a way that we balance each other out. I’m more aggressive, she’s a little softer.”
He added that they each encourage to look at things in a different light, saying: “It helps us stay well-rounded.”
Prince previously dated Remi Alfalah, with the two of them meeting at school.
Charity work
Prince is very active with his charity Heal Los Angeles (Image: Getty Images)
Prince has been very active in charity work, especially during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
He has his own charity – Heal Los Angeles – and over Christmas teamed up with Mattel – home of Barbie and other iconic doll lines – to give underprivileged children a $150 shopping spree.
In recent months, Prince and Heal Los Angeles have helped to provide food for those in need alongside delivery service Fresh N’ Lean.
Speaking of what his father would think of his charitable streak, he told Entertainment Tonight: “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.”
He added: “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.”
Showbiz dreams
Prince and his brother Bigi, formerly Blanket, started a film review show in 2019 (Image: Internet Unknown)
While Prince comes from a very musical family, he’s never had an interest in going down that path.
Instead, he’s much more interested in the production side of things, as well as hosting.
Prince graduated university with a degree in business administration, but he has been very open about his creative passions.
In fact, he teamed up with his younger brother Bigi to launch a film review YouTube channel.
He told Extra in 2019: “My dad was always a strong believer in going for what you want and ‘go follow your dreams and chase your dreams…
“So for us to be able to kind of sit there and hopefully make a career about talking about film and looking at film – my brother wants to be a director, I love producing – there’s some form of guidance there that kind of is ushering us into the next generation.”
Despite making a big song and dance over his movie reviewer career path, the only video on his YouTube channel of that genre is an Avengers: Endgame review.
He regularly uploads videos to his channel though, which currently has more than 23,000 subscribers, with many focussing on him riding his motorbike.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
