Michael Jackson Mother: I want the kids and the money. Michael Jackson’s mum Katherine last night demanded custody of his children – and his estate worth hundreds of millions of pounds.
The 79-year-old launched a legal bid to bring up Prince Michael, Paris and Prince Michael II,
insisting she is the only person who can do the job.
Her lawyer Londell McMillan said he was confident she would get full custody after a judge granted her temporary guardianship of the grieving youngsters.
He added: “The fortunate reality is they have a long-time relationship with their grandmother Katherine.
“She is a very loving, strong woman. She presently has custody and we don’t think there is anyone who is any better.”
But she could face a tough battle from Debbie Rowe – the biological mother of Prince, 12, and 11-year-old Paris – if she decides she wants the kids back.
And their nanny Grace Rwaramba, 42, could also step into the equation.
Prince II, seven, was born to a surrogate mum whose identity is not known.
The family have not heard from Rowe and Mr McMillan insisted they had “no knowledge to suggest she would do anything to uproot these children”.
But family attorney Michael Trope, said: “Rowe is the biological mother and upon Michael Jackson’s death, technically she has every right in the world to have custody of those kids.”
And Katherine may not find it so easy to get her hands on Jacko’s estate after a bid to take it over was turned down by the judge. But he made no ruling over her controversial attempt to get her hands on his personal fortune.
Friends say Katherine wants to protect her son’s legacy by taking over his estate.
A court source said: “The family does not want Michael’s estate controlled by anyone other than Katherine. They are trying to make sure no other business or legal advisor tries to step into that role.”
Papers submitted to a Los Angeles court confirm Jacko’s children are staying at the family compound in Encino.
His dad Joe said: “We have the personal and legal authority to act, and solely Katherine and I have authority for our son and his children.
“This is where they belong, we’re the parents, we have got other kids their size, we love those kids.
“We’re gonna take care of them and give them the education they are supposed to have. We can do that and we have premises large enough to be able to extend all kinds of help they might need.
“The kids are happy, they are happy with the kids they are around.”
A family source said Katherine gets on “brilliantly” with the children.
The night before he died, Jacko phoned her so she could speak to them.
One friend said: “He was exhausted but spent the last hours playing with his kids.
“He also rang his mother so they could speak to their grandmother. They had a speakerphone chat for about 20 minutes.”
Experts insist Rowe has the strongest legal claim to her children. The papers state her whereabouts are “unknown”. She has not seen the youngsters for 10 years and lives on a ranch 60 miles from LA.
Her lawyer Marta Almli refused to answer questions on any custody battle.
But Jacko’s family sources said the children want to live with Katherine and not Rowe. Joe added:
“Debbie Rowe has nothing to do with what we’re doing.”
Nanny Grace, who became “mother” to the children while they were growing up, could complicate matters further if she decides to join the custody battle.
It has been reported that Jacko wanted her look after his children should anything happen to him.
Grace said: “I took these babies in my arms on the first day of each of their lives. They’re my babies.”
Yesterday, Joe looked in good spirits as he spoke warmly about his son when he addressed hundreds of reporters camped outside the family home.
He said: “We know we are loved all over the world. I wish Michael could be here to see this, we had to wait for something to happen like this before it could be realised. He was a superstar all over the world, he was loved in every country.
“He tried his hardest to please everyone, he donated so much money to the sick, the blind, everybody that needed help and he was glad to do it.
“I’ve seen Michael help so many people, sometimes he would go and cry about it because he felt sorry for the people he was helping.”
He added: “I was very proud of my son and the legacy of Michael Jackson will go on, I can promise you that.”
The 79-year-old launched a legal bid to bring up Prince Michael, Paris and Prince Michael II,
insisting she is the only person who can do the job.
Her lawyer Londell McMillan said he was confident she would get full custody after a judge granted her temporary guardianship of the grieving youngsters.
He added: “The fortunate reality is they have a long-time relationship with their grandmother Katherine.
“She is a very loving, strong woman. She presently has custody and we don’t think there is anyone who is any better.”
But she could face a tough battle from Debbie Rowe – the biological mother of Prince, 12, and 11-year-old Paris – if she decides she wants the kids back.
And their nanny Grace Rwaramba, 42, could also step into the equation.
Prince II, seven, was born to a surrogate mum whose identity is not known.
The family have not heard from Rowe and Mr McMillan insisted they had “no knowledge to suggest she would do anything to uproot these children”.
But family attorney Michael Trope, said: “Rowe is the biological mother and upon Michael Jackson’s death, technically she has every right in the world to have custody of those kids.”
And Katherine may not find it so easy to get her hands on Jacko’s estate after a bid to take it over was turned down by the judge. But he made no ruling over her controversial attempt to get her hands on his personal fortune.
Friends say Katherine wants to protect her son’s legacy by taking over his estate.
A court source said: “The family does not want Michael’s estate controlled by anyone other than Katherine. They are trying to make sure no other business or legal advisor tries to step into that role.”
Papers submitted to a Los Angeles court confirm Jacko’s children are staying at the family compound in Encino.
His dad Joe said: “We have the personal and legal authority to act, and solely Katherine and I have authority for our son and his children.
“This is where they belong, we’re the parents, we have got other kids their size, we love those kids.
“We’re gonna take care of them and give them the education they are supposed to have. We can do that and we have premises large enough to be able to extend all kinds of help they might need.
“The kids are happy, they are happy with the kids they are around.”
A family source said Katherine gets on “brilliantly” with the children.
The night before he died, Jacko phoned her so she could speak to them.
One friend said: “He was exhausted but spent the last hours playing with his kids.
“He also rang his mother so they could speak to their grandmother. They had a speakerphone chat for about 20 minutes.”
Experts insist Rowe has the strongest legal claim to her children. The papers state her whereabouts are “unknown”. She has not seen the youngsters for 10 years and lives on a ranch 60 miles from LA.
Her lawyer Marta Almli refused to answer questions on any custody battle.
But Jacko’s family sources said the children want to live with Katherine and not Rowe. Joe added:
“Debbie Rowe has nothing to do with what we’re doing.”
Nanny Grace, who became “mother” to the children while they were growing up, could complicate matters further if she decides to join the custody battle.
It has been reported that Jacko wanted her look after his children should anything happen to him.
Grace said: “I took these babies in my arms on the first day of each of their lives. They’re my babies.”
Yesterday, Joe looked in good spirits as he spoke warmly about his son when he addressed hundreds of reporters camped outside the family home.
He said: “We know we are loved all over the world. I wish Michael could be here to see this, we had to wait for something to happen like this before it could be realised. He was a superstar all over the world, he was loved in every country.
“He tried his hardest to please everyone, he donated so much money to the sick, the blind, everybody that needed help and he was glad to do it.
“I’ve seen Michael help so many people, sometimes he would go and cry about it because he felt sorry for the people he was helping.”
He added: “I was very proud of my son and the legacy of Michael Jackson will go on, I can promise you that.”
so do I
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