Among the greatest mysteries of Michael Jackson’s always-mysterious existence were the lives and circumstances surrounding the births of his three children. Following Jackson’s death at the age of 50, it’s unclear who will take custody of the kids.

Michael was so secretive about his kids that the faces of Prince Michael Joseph Jr., now 12, Paris Michael Katherine, 11, and Prince Michael II, 7, have hardly been seen in public. Here, Michael is seen with his two eldest children on a shopping trip in London. Whenever the children appeared in public, they often wore masks or veils to conceal their faces. In a 2008 interview, Debbie Rowe, the mother of the elder two, took credit for masking them out of fear that they would be kidnapped.

—Laura Motta

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