In 1997, Michael Jackson was the biggest star on the planet. And when he became a father for the first time, his son, Prince Michael Jackson, instantly became famous. Not just famous, but “mega-famous.” He was a global icon before he could walk or talk. But this legacy, this automatic glory, was not a gift. It was a burden, a silent tragedy that shaped his entire life.

Even before taking into account all the scandal surrounding his father, the world seemed to know that this child would have a very difficult life. Any child born to famous parents is destined to spend the rest of their lives being compared. But when your father is hailed as “the greatest entertainer the world has ever known,” you are almost “doomed to disappoint” to many people. There is simply no way that Prince, or any of Michael’s children, could live up to the impossible standards their father set.

But the pressure of that expectation wasn’t even the most tragic part of Prince’s life. It actually stemmed from a “crazy” and completely different childhood.

Neverland’s Gold Balloon

Prince grew up at Neverland Ranch, which his father called “the happiest place on Earth.” For a child, it was a veritable paradise. He spent every day in a world that knew only joy. But that was the problem. Prince lived in a complete “bubble,” sheltered from everything. He had no idea what was going on outside those walls.

He had no idea that the world was talking about him, questioning everything about his identity. He had no idea that the media was investigating and spreading vicious rumors about his biological connection to Michael. It was a tragedy for a child to face: most of the articles about Prince revolved around how he “couldn’t possibly” be Michael’s biological son.

People kept saying he was a “donor baby,” meaning he wasn’t a “real Jackson baby.” The whole thing was “bizarre, haunting, and creepy.” If the then-10-year-old Prince had to see these things every day, it would have been devastating. The newborn boy immediately became “an object of scrutiny,” just like his father.

Realizing this, Michael did everything he could to protect Prince and his siblings, Paris and Bigi (Blanket), from the prying eyes of the outside world and the media. We all remember the image of the children wearing masks. It was a father’s desperate attempt to keep his children private.

It’s hard to imagine how strange and difficult that must have been for a child: unable to have normal friends, spending his whole life on a farm, completely sheltered from the world. It seemed “inevitable” that Prince and his siblings would grow up to be socially awkward, withdrawn children—not unlike their father.

Collision With Reality

But they won’t have to worry about that for long. Because their whole world, that whole gilded bubble, is about to burst.

In 2009, when Prince was just 12 years old, Michael suddenly passed away. It was a terrible shock. Suddenly, “the only real friend these kids ever had,” other than their siblings, was taken away. This made things doubly worse. These kids were literally “unequipped or unprepared” to deal with the outside world. It was something Michael dealt with all the time, because he was the only one who understood.

Now they are completely alone. Luckily, they have their grandmother, Katherine Jackson, who has taken legal custody and is trying to raise the children. For them, this may be a “healthier” environment than growing up in a closed bubble. But it also means they can no longer hide from the spotlight.

And because Prince was the eldest, the world became obsessed with scrutinizing his every choice. The bubble had burst, and the reality outside was crueler than anything he could have imagined.

The tabloids began “analyzing his facial bone structure” as he grew up, trying to compare it to Michael’s, just to “prove” he wasn’t Michael’s biological son. It’s hard to imagine how overwhelming that must have been: grieving the loss of a father, while also being “attacked basically for existing.”

The Pressure of Heritage

Everything Prince does is compared to his father, as if he “must somehow continue or live up to” Michael’s legacy. This is insane. Michael was one of a kind. Putting that pressure on anyone else is insane, but doing it to a child is truly “unfair.”

Especially since Prince “clearly didn’t want to do what his father did.” He and his siblings witnessed firsthand the price of that fame. They saw their father “harassed relentlessly by people who never knew him.” It’s not the kind of life you “willingly choose” to enter into, unless you have to.

So instead, Prince decided that he would forge his own path in his father’s legacy. It was an admirable decision. He actually skipped the whole “nepo baby” debate by going to business school.

On top of that, he did something else that proved to be a defining moment in his life. He co-founded the charity Heal Los Angeles while still in college, which eventually helped provide meals to those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Tragedy of the Eternal Shadow

But here’s the really tragic part. Prince did so many amazing things in his life. He earned a business degree. He co-founded a charity that was incredibly important during the crisis. But “every time” he did those things and tried to strike out on his own, the world “would just pull him back,” right back to his father and his legacy.

It’s a recurring story we hear from the children of celebrities. Prince is an example of someone who has “really worked” to define himself as someone other than “Michael’s son.” What else could he do?

At some point, Prince began to realize that he “never really escaped” his father’s shadow. So he “accepted it.” He and his siblings grew closer after Michael’s death, and some of their public appearances show how strong that bond has become.

On the 15th anniversary of his father’s death, Prince posted a heartfelt tribute on social media: “Missing you dad… the world was a better place with you in it.”

Accept Your Fate

Now, he’s constantly working on projects that honor and celebrate his father—musicals, movies, whatever. It seems like Prince has truly accepted the fact that he’ll never be able to truly escape that shadow. And it seems like he’s “genuinely happy” for the first time in a long time.

Prince Jackson’s life is a modern tragedy of identity. Who is he if he is not Michael Jackson’s son? And will the world ever allow him to find that answer?

His entire life had been under the biggest microscope the world had ever seen. He had to deal with people talking about him, his siblings, and his father “like they were animals.” He tried to forge his own path, but he was still “treated as Michael’s son first and foremost.” It’s hard to imagine how frustrating that kind of life would be.

Prince’s tragedy was not that he lacked talent or ambition. His tragedy was that his talent and ambition were always measured against an insurmountable yardstick. He chose a different path, a quieter one in business and philanthropy, but the shadow of the greatest father on the planet still loomed over his success.

Perhaps, by accepting that legacy and working to honor it rather than running away from it, Prince has finally found his own peace. Perhaps one day he will be able to break free of it and be seen for who he is. But until then, he is still Prince, son of the King of Pop, trying to find his place in a world that will never stop comparing.