King of pop goes over the edge but picks up award
After video images of the squirming baby in a blue jumper shocked viewers on two continents, the reclusive star issued a statement saying he had made a "terrible mistake" by holding Prince Michael II aloft from a window 60ft off the ground.
The boy's face was draped with a white cloth, which German newspapers reported was a precaution to protect his children from being kidnappers' targets.
"I got caught up in the excitement of the moment," the statement said. "I would never intentionally endanger the lives of my children."
British tabloids were especially critical of Jackson. The Sun called him "You lunatic" and the Daily Mirror "Mad bad dad".
Berlin prosecutors said they were not investigating the incident, although an inquiry could be opened if any complaint against Jackson were filed.
Jackson had plenty of supporters and appeared unfazed by the transatlantic flap as he toured Berlin on Wednesday, taking two of his children, their faces covered with burgundy-coloured scarves, to see gorillas at the Berlin Zoo.
He even dared to appear again at the same balcony window this time with two smiling German children waving next to him. Young Prince Michael II, however, was nowhere to be seen.
Jackson came to Berlin to receive a Bambi entertainment lifetime achievement award, taking a break from California hearing on a lawsuit seeking damages for cancelling two concerts.
On Wednesday night, the star attended a celebrity auction for homeless children, where a silver-studded jacket that he wore to receive the Artist of the Century title at last January's American Music Awards was sold for 16,000 to German songwriter Ralph Siegel.
"I'm glad to be here," Jackson told the gathering of several hundred invited guests after he was greeted outside the downtown Adagio club.
Little is known about Jackson's youngest son, but People Magazine reported in August that he was six months old and that he had not been adopted. However, no mother was identified. The singer's five-year-old son Prince Michael and four-year-old daughter Paris were born during his marriage to Debbie Rowe, which ended in 1999.
While fans and friends alike said they could not imagine holding a child over a railing from such a height, they seemed to agree Jackson meant no harm. "He probably did it because he was overwhelmed emotionally by the fans," spoon-bending psychic Uri Geller said in London. "I think it was a silly thing to do."
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