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Friday, 3 July 2009

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The strange world of Blanket, Prince and Paris

We reveal the history of Michael's three children, whose lives have been turned upside down

Michael Jackson's children are now left without a 'dad'

Michael Jackson called his children outlandish names – Blanket, Prince and Paris – and went to great lengths to ensure their happiness.

It would be pointless trying to judge a family resemblance, given that the man they’re supposed to take after didn’t even look like himself in the end. But celebrity watchers have long questioned the paternity of Michael Jackson’s three offspring.

His two eldest, Prince Michael, 12, and daughter Paris, 11, born in 1997 and 1998 respectively, bear a resemblance to their mother Debbie Rowe, who Michael married in 1996 and divorced three years later.

Their faces, normally hidden from public view beneath masks, scarves and shawls, are fair-skinned and the blue eyes are in stark contrast to the singer’s natural dark looks and black skin. The godparents of the two children are Macaulay Culkin and Elizabeth Taylor.

His third child Prince Michael II (Blanket), seven, bears more of a resemblance to his father with his olive skin and dark eyes and was born in February 2002 to a mystery surrogate mother, whose identity has never been revealed.

Michael caused uproar weeks after his third son was born when he dangled Blanket over a fourth-floor balcony of a hotel in Germany, in front of a crowd of fans, a move he later said he ‘regretted’. Once asked why he called his son Blanket, he replied: ‘As in I’ll blanket you, I’ll protect you. Blanket means love and protect.'

During his infamous 2003 interview with Martin Bashir, Michael defended himself and said that his own family were a mixture of black, white and Asian. He said his own father is African-American, but has blue eyes and that some of the Jackson family ancestors are Caucasian and even Indian.

Friends have said Michael Jackson was a wonderful father who doted on his children and loved playing ‘silly games’ with them. He showered them with gifts and even turned his Neverland home into a kid’s paradise that was more like a theme park than a home.

PICTURE GALLERY SPECIAL Michael Jackson - a legend>>

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