One Year Later: Michael Jackson’s Kids’ Public Lives

During Michael Jackson’s life, the King of Pop shielded his three kids – Prince Michael, Paris, and Prince Michael II (known affectionately as “Blanket”) – from the limelight. When they were seen in public, the children often wore masks to keep their faces away from photographers. But in the year since the superstar’s death on June 25, 2009, the world has been introduced to the young trio – and vice versa.

Perhaps their most memorable public moment belongs to Paris, who took the stage with an unexpected speech last July at the Staples Center public memorial for her father.

“I just want to say ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you can ever imagine,” she said – an emotional scene the whole world saw. “And I just want to say I love him so much.”

But the children have also had to adjust to a new life off-camera and without their famous father, a transition their family has shared with Access Hollywood.

Two months after Michael’s passing, La Toya Jackson gave Access an update on the kids.

“They can look at certain things and they’ve overcome it,” she said at the time. “Now you know that they’re moving on with their lives.”

Now, with each passing day, the children continue to reveal more of themselves, appearing on YouTube in May in a goofy video.

“He got those, like, awesome pictures of Spider-Man like this, on a gargoyle, it’s awesome, man!” Blanket says in the clip.

Though they’ve spent the last year in the safety of their family’s Encino, Calif. compound, Katherine Jackson, the children’s grandmother and guardian, announced recently that the kids will, for the first time, attend private school in fall.

And their cousin Jaafar, Jermaine Jackson’s son, spoke to Access Hollywood’s Shaun Robinson earlier this year about how they spend their days.

“They’re doing fine right now,” Jaafar said. “‘cause we’re playing with them a lot and we’re just having fun, trying to have fun.

“We go to school, we go eat, we play video games or go swimming and karate,” he continued. “We’re all in the same belt. We’re yellow belts.”

Katherine is expected to be in Gary, Indiana, on Friday – Michael’s hometown – for the unveiling of a monument honoring the King of Pop, but it is currently unknown how or where Prince, Paris and Blanket will spend the anniversary.