Prince Jackson has been “Prince” to Michael Jackson fans since the day he was born. That was Feb 13, 1997, and he was Michael’s very first child.
Almost 30 years later, fans still use that name without a second thought. You’ll see it in just about every headline written about him. But Prince has never been only “Prince.”
He’s also a Jr. He shares his dad’s name, Michael, which makes him Michael Jackson Jr.
These days Prince talks openly and warmly about his father. In this interview with the AP, he talks about what it meant to help bring his dad’s story to the big screen, and it’s a nice chance to hear how he sounds as a grown man talking about Michael.
Prince Jackson talks about his father’s story on the big screen
Back in March 2021, Prince sat down with FOX Soul’s talk show “The Mix.” It was a rare interview, and he opened up about growing up with his dad. He also cleared up a question about his name that many fans had never thought to ask.
He explained that he switches between two names. One is “Prince,” the one the whole world knows. The other is a shorter version of the name he shares with his father. This clip from that FOX Soul interview is where Prince talks about growing up as Michael’s son, so you can hear the conversation the name story came from.
Prince Jackson on growing up with his dad
So what did his classmates call him?
“Mike.”
That’s right. At school, Michael Jackson’s oldest son often went by plain old Mike. And his reason was about as practical as it gets.
“It was just easier for me to say ‘Mike’ instead of ‘Prince,'” he said.
When you think about it, it makes sense. Introducing yourself as “Prince” on the first day of class would get you a few looks. “Mike” let him be one more kid in the room.
Prince has talked in other interviews about what kind of father Michael was at home. In this one, he talks about how Michael was as a dad and what his legacy means, which is a sweet companion to the name story.
Prince Jackson on what Michael was like as a father
There’s one more family detail that makes the name “Prince” fun to think about. It runs in the family.
Michael’s mother, Katherine Jackson, was born Katherine Esther Screws on May 4, 1930, in Clayton, Alabama. Her parents were Martha and Prince Albert Scruse. Her father changed the family name from Screws to Scruse in 1934. So Michael’s own grandfather was named Prince, too.
Want to hear the 2021 interview in context? Here’s the full FOX Soul episode of “The Mix” that Prince appeared on, with his talk about growing up with his dad.
The full episode of “The Mix” with Prince Jackson
Prince is still “Prince” to millions of fans. But to the kids he went to school with, he was often just Mike, a regular classmate who just happened to share a name with the King of Pop.