LOS ANGELES (AP) — They are show business royalty, heirs of the King of Pop. Someday, they will be very rich. But a year after their father Michael Jackson’s death, Prince, Paris and Blanket Jackson are normal kids full of fun and pranks, devoted to each other and to their grandmother who is their guardian, according to a lawyer who sees them frequently.

They talk about their father and his presence is everywhere in their ranch-style house in the San Fernando Valley. Pictures and memorabilia adorn the walls. The gated compound has additional residences where other members of the family have lived over the years.

“The children are seemingly as normal as normal can be under pretty extraordinary circumstances,” says Adam Streisand, the lawyer who represents Katherine Jackson and a frequent visitor to the compound where she lives with the children. He provided an account of life inside their guarded world in an interview with The Associated Press.

The large Jackson family, including eight of Michael’s siblings and their families, has been a source of emotional support for the children, who frequently play with their cousins, Streisand says.

In an interview with London’s Daily Mail, published Sunday, Katherine Jackson said she misses her son every day but sees his spirit in his three children, whom she is raising “a little less strict” than her son would have.

Prince, born Michael Joseph Jackson Jr, is the oldest. At 13, he has developed an interest in filmmaking, and his brother, sister and cousins have been starring in their own home movies.

“They have props and sets, and one of them acts as director. They all have roles,” says Streisand. Katherine Jackson told the Daily Mail that Paris, who has a photo shrine to her father on her wall, wants to be an actress.

Since Michael’s death, the kids have continued home schooling. But in the fall, Prince will go to private school.

“He is ready to branch out and have a more socialised experience,” Streisand says.

Whether his 12-year-old sister, Paris Michael, will join him is undecided, although in the Daily Mail interview Katherine Jackson suggested they all would.

In a brief interview this week, their uncle, Jackie Jackson, said the children were “very excited about going on vacation” — to Disney World, the Smithsonian museums in Washington, DC, and other sites where “they can learn as well as have a good time”. Last week, everyone came together for a party at the family home when two of Jackie’s nephews graduated from high school.

On the anniversary of Michael’s death, he said the family will gather for a quiet, private memorial.

As for Katherine Jackson, who recently turned 80, life has become a whirlwind. She is busy overseeing the children’s activities, but is also involved in the administration of Michael’s estate. Although not an executor, she is kept informed by the estate administrators, John Branca and John McClain, on projects that are undertaken.

“She is energetic and active. Her health is perfect,” says Streisand. “She has very clear ideas about what she wants and does not want as to estate matters.”

She is also putting out a book, Never Can Say Goodbye: The Katherine Jackson Archives, filled with photos of her son.

“I’d like him to be remembered as the loving person he was,” she told the Daily Mail.

Streisand says Katherine Jackson has made it clear that she does not want Neverland to be sold, but the 3,000-acre spread costs millions to maintain and a decision to sell could be reconsidered.

Katherine’s husband, Joe, lives in Las Vegas but stays at the family home when he is in California. Other members of the Jackson clan have their own homes.

——

A rundown on their activities since Michael’s death:

Joe Jackson: Joe has criticised prosecutors for not filing stronger charges against Dr. Conrad Murray, facing manslaugter charges over improperly administering a mixture of sedatives, including the anesthetic propofol, in an attempt to get the chronic insomniac to sleep. He accused concert promoter AEG Live of wrongdoing and has given interviews that promoted his own business ventures in the days after his son’s death.

He is battling Michael’s estate, seeking more than $15,000 a month, even though Michael Jackson omitted his father from his will and trust. The singer also excluded him from guardianship duties, and Joe filed a declaration stating he would not play a primary role in raising his grandchildren. The move was not altogether surprising, considering Michael’s strained relationship with Joe.

Now nearly 81, he is likely to remain a constant figure in his son’s post-death affairs. He is expected to sue Murray for his son’s death and is appealing the legitimacy of the executors of his son’s estate, which pays his wife and grandchildren more than $86,000 a month.

Michael’s brothers and sisters were also omitted from his will.

——

Janet Jackson: The highest-profile living member of the Jacksons continued to balance acting and singing over the past year. She put out a greatest hits album with a couple of new tracks to lackluster sales, but had success with her starring role in the movie, Why Did I Get Married Too? Janet has also been cast in the film adaptation of the Ntozake Shange play, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf, and is writing a book detailing her yearslong battle with weight. “It’s not an autobiography, even though it gives anecdotes throughout my life. … It talks about self-esteem as well, and acceptance from within,” she said in a recent interview.

——

Tito Jackson: Tito participated in the short-lived reality show, The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty. He has been touring with a blues band — he plays guitar — with planned stops in Japan, China and New York.

——

Jermaine Jackson: Jermaine spent the first few months after his brother’s death trying to plan an all-star tribute. One was to be held in Vienna, Austria, but was later canceled as top acts that had been touted to appear were not confirmed. With three other brothers, he appeared on the Jackson’s reality show, and accepted awards for Michael at the American Music Awards.

——

Randy Jackson: Randy was the only brother who declined to be on the Jackson reality series; he said on Twitter that he was a private person. But the youngest Jackson brother, who was recently hospitalised for chest pains, has been vocal on Twitter about various matters, ranging from Murray’s prosecution to unauthorised tributes to his brother.

——

Marlon and Jackie Jackson: Along with Tito and Jermaine, Marlon and Jackie participated in the Jackson brothers reality show, and were executive producers. Jackie said the show continues to play in Europe but there are no plans for a second season. He and Marlon have been in a recording studio with estate executor McClain preparing Michael’s unreleased music for a new album. Jackie is also a producer of the planned Michael Jackson Cirque du Soleil show, working closely with the estate executors and lawyers.

——

Rebbie Jackson: The oldest Jackson sibling has stayed out of the spotlight but started performing again this year, a comeback she had planned last year but halted when her brother died. She spent a while after Michael’s death in the family’s compound, helping her mother with Prince, Paris and Blanket.

——

LaToya Jackson: LaToya was among the most vocal family members after her brother died. With Jermaine and Joe, she said she believed Michael was murdered. She also put out a song, Home, in tribute to Michael; the song had previously been released before his death.