Prince Jackson was spotted shopping with his girlfriend Remi
Alfalah on Thursday in New York while his younger sister Paris
recovered in a hospital in Los Angeles following her suicide attempt on
Wednesday.
His outing came amid reports that the 16-year-old and his sister, 15, 'feuded' over her spending time with their biological mother Debbie Rowe, with Prince disapproving of their recent reconciliation.
While Prince was not seen at the hospital, new pictures emerged of Debbie, grandmother Katherine and aunt La Toya Jackson leaving the facility on Wednesday night where Paris is currently under a 72-hour psychiatric hold.
Miles away: Prince Michael Jackson was spotted shopping with his
girlfriend Remi Alfalah in New York on Thursday while his sister
recovered in an LA hospital following her suicide attempt
Prince looked carefree and even gave a smile for photographers as he left upscale department store Barney's in Manhattan.
His 16-year-old girlfriend, who is believed to be a Kuwaiti princess, walked a few steps ahead of him to their waiting car.
Sources told US Weekly that Prince didn't approve when his sister began spending time with the pair's estranged mother.
'[Paris and Prince] were always so insanely close until Debbie came back in the picture, and Paris wanted to get close with her,' an insider told US.
'Paris wanted her mom in her life, but Paris was younger and Prince remembers all of the awful things Michael told them about Debbie. Prince feels Paris is betraying their father by getting close to Debbie.'
Carefree: Prince cracked a smile as he left Barney's, while his mother, grandmother and aunt were at his sister's bedside in LA
Life of privilege: Paris and his girlfriend, who is believed to be a Kuwait princess, were escorted to their waiting car by bodyguards
Disapproving sibling: Prince, who dressed casually in shorts and a cap, felt 'betrayed' by Paris for connecting with their mother
'He has these massive fights with her and calls Paris a backstabber for getting to know "that woman,"' said the insider. 'Paris and Prince fight all the time, and it really hurts Paris as they used to be close.'
Paris has lately been visiting her mother, 54, at her ranch in Palmdale, California after years of estrangement, and the pair even celebrated Paris' birthday together in April.
'Paris made her own decision to get to know her mom and found she really liked her,' said the source. 'She loves the stories Debbie has told her about her dad.'
Reconciled: Paris has recently started spending time with Debbie, but
Prince Michael feels 'betrayed' and has called Paris a 'backstabber'
Debbie
was present as the Jackson clan rallied around the teenager on Thursday
following her suicide attempt, which saw her cut her arm and take an
overdose.
Both Debbie and La Toya, 57, appeared incredibly somber after the visit in pictures obtained by TMZ, while Katherine, 83, left in the back seat of a chauffeur-driven car. They all left separately.
Support: Debbie Rowe, La Toya and Katherine Jackson, seen here in file pictures, visited Paris at her hospital bed in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening
There was no sign of Paris' siblings Prince Michael, 16, or Blanket, 13, nor other members of the Jackson clan. (Prince Michael canceled a scheduled appearance on German television on Thursday, following his sister's troubles.)
Michael Jackson's nephew Tito Jackson, who shares legal guardianship of Paris along with Katherine, told TMZ on Thursday that the family is 'coping very well'.
The women all made public statements about Paris yesterday, with Debbie admitting daughter has had 'a lot going on lately'.
Paris has recently begun developing a relationship with her biological mother, who relinquished her custody rights to Paris and Prince following her divorce from the Bad singer in 1999.
Her
grandmother and legal co-guardian Katherine has been very supportive of
Paris' decision to reach out Debbie amid her personal turmoil.
Reconnecting with her mom: Paris, pictured with Debbie Rowe at her ranch in Palmdale last month, recently reached out to her biological mother because she feels 'lonely' following her father's death
The suicide attempt is understood to have come after a dark time and episodes of self-harming.
'Paris has been very, very depressed for a while. She's been throwing fits and tantrums, kicking and screaming and cutting herself,' a source tellsPeoplemagazine.
'She misses her father greatly,' the source adds. 'She was the center of Michael's world and it's all different now. She says that she is lonely and that she doesn't feel loved.'
The act is considered by many to be a cry for help, with the insider adding: 'Paris is very unhappy and alone. She's living in this place and there's security and uncles and all these hangers-on. And she's alone. That's one of the reasons she reached out to Debbie Rowe – she wants a family, she's missed her dad.'
Under psychiatric hold: Paris is understood to be at the West Hills Medical Center in Los Angeles
June 25 will mark the fourth anniversary of Jackson's death.
Katherine's lawyer said yesterday the teen is 'physically fine', adding: 'Being a sensitive 15-year-old is difficult no matter who you are. It is especially difficult when you lose the person closest to you.'
'Depressed': Paris showed signs of self-harm on her arms in April
La Toya added: 'We are grateful and appreciate the overwhelming concern for Paris from both the public and the media, but request privacy at this time while our family handles these issues together'
It is understood Paris tried to commit suicide after reportedly being denied the chance to attend a Marilyn Manson gig.
Other
reports have alleged Paris 'flipped out' and screamed at the relative
who stopped her seeing the goth rocker, and it is claimed she then
locked herself in her bedroom at her Calabasas, California home and cut
her arm before leaving a note and ringing a suicide hotline.
Manson has since passed on a message of support via TMZ, saying: 'I hope you feel better. You will be on my guest list anytime you want.'
Conrad Murray also chimed in with a message for Paris - cold comfort considering he is doctor convicted of killing her father.
'I
don't know what you're going through, but I'm sure whatever it is it
must be difficult,' Murray said in a message from jail obtained by TMZ.
'I
don't know if there's anything I can do to solve your pain or help you
with your problem but I wanted you to know that I am here for you. I
have never been gone.'
He also referenced the title of a Jackson song, You Are Not Alone.
On Thursday it emerged Paris asked for 'emancipation' from her family at one point, according to the US columnist Roger Friedman, who has strong sources close to the Jackson family. Katherine currently shares guardianship of Paris and her siblings with the son of Michael’s brother, Tito.
The court action would have given Paris control over her own life before legally becoming an adult at 18.
'YOUR DAD TOUCHED LITTTLE BOYS': PARIS TARGETED BY TROLLS
Paris Jackson has amassed more than a million followers on Twitter and uses the social networking site to share videos, selfies and in recent times, confiding about her troubled state of mind.
But she has also found herself the target of cruel cyber-bullying.
Twitter trolls have posted messages including 'Die...lesbian' and 'you're such a bully. That's why your dad is dead.'
Another branded her a 'ugly b****' and took a swipe about her late father, writing: 'your dad touched little boys.'
A recent message read: 'You ugly d*** kill yourself.'
Friedman also alleged that Debbie could seek legal custody of her daughter removing her from the Jackson family compound in Calabasas.
During his high-profile but deeply troubled life, the King of Pop was fiercely protective of his children - covering their faces in masks in public outings - but since death in 2009, Paris has become the most visible in the public spotlight.
Paris, who was just 11 when her father died, delivered the most poignant words of the star-studded service when she tentatively took the microphone and said, 'Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine.'
In the years that followed she granted interviews to Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres, appeared in magazine articles and amassed more than a million followers on Twitter.
She has also expressed interest in starting a singing career and has plans to star in a upcoming movie.
But she has struggled in recent times, and on Tuesday she hinted at her state of mind on Twitter, posting, 'I wonder why tears are salty?' followed by lyrics from the Beatles' song 'Yesterday': 'yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away now it looks as though they're here to stay.'
A 20-minute video of the teen applying makeup was posted to YouTube last week. It shows Jackson in what she describes as her bedroom playfully demonstrating how she does her eye makeup. She receives and replies to several texts on her phone while offering cosmetics instruction. She also reveals that she watches the film Tangled three times a week and, as a child, fantasized about marrying a cowboy.
Family portrait: Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe with Prince and Paris
She also makes goofy faces and says, 'I need serious help. I'm crazy!'
Paris wrote on Twitter that she doesn't know how the video, in which she repeatedly asserts, 'I am so weird,' ended up on YouTube.
'I hope you guys liked it tho and didn't think i'm too crazy,' she wrote. 'i get weird when i'm not around people lol.'
Paris and Prince are listed as plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed by their grandmother against concert giant AEG Live LLC, who she claims is responsible for her son's death. Katherine Jackson's lawsuit claims AEG failed to properly investigate the doctor convicted of causing the singer's death, and pushed the superstar to rehearse and perform a planned series of 50 comeback shows titled 'This Is It.'
Both children are listed as potential witnesses in the case, which is in its sixth week of trial.
Katherine will fight plans by AEG to still call Paris to the stand despite her recent suicide attempt, reports RadarOnline.
The Jacksons' lawyers are gearing up to ensure Paris isn't forced to testify, sources close to the case told the website.
Marvin S. Putnam, a defense attorney for AEG Live, said Paris and Prince Jackson were deposed in the case because they are named plaintiffs. He said Paris Jackson's testimony was not a 'grilling' but urged privacy for her and her family.
'There's a real person involved here,' Putnam said. 'There's a 15-year-old girl and something incredibly tragic has happened that none of us know why and I think it would really be in everyone's best interest and particularly in her best interest if rather than blowing this up into something else, that they were given a little bit of privacy to deal with something that has to be a tragic, tragic moment for all of them.'
'She's 15,' he said. 'Someone should give her a break.'