20 Things To Know About Blue Ivy Carter And Her Siblings
Beyoncé and Jay-Z are one of the Hollywood's power couples, so it should come as no surprise that there is an interest in their offspring. Their first daughter Blue Ivy is one of the most well-known celebrity children, and although details about their twins, Rumi and Sir, are scarce they are not even a year old yet, and they are already the subject of headlines.
Although they are young, they are already making an impact on their parent's lives - from the way that they have inspired Jay-Z to help men who are incarcerated, to the way motherhood has changed Beyoncé for the better, but also the public. Often the things that Blue Ivy does or says have made headlines, ranging from her couture outfits to her hobbies and her adorable bond with her parents. Actually, it seems that the Carter children were always destined to be famous because they were breaking records even before they were born (thanks to Beyoncé's pregnancy announcements, both times) and their parents have already filed applications to trademark their unique names and establish their own empires.
There is a lot more to these famous children than what meets the eye, and below are 20 things about Blue Ivy Carter and her siblings you may not have known.
20 Blue Ivy Was Enrolled At A Center For Early Education
Education is something that is incredibly important for Beyoncé, and she has been vocal about her support for global education for girls worldwide. In 2015, she attended the Global Citizen Festival in New York City, where she urged fans to support Michelle Obama's education campaign. According to Time, Bey took to the stage to perform some of her feminist hits, including “Survivor,” “Run the World (Girls),” and “Single Ladies.
So, then it should come as no surprise that her own daughter, Blue Ivy's schooling is something that Beyoncé would have given a lot of thought to, and according to PopSugar, she has been enrolled in the Center For Early Education in Los Angeles, a private school for students in preschool up until sixth grade.
Beyoncé is also a very hands-on parent and reportedly appeared at the school's annual gala in 2016, wearing a black and gold sequinned dress and belting out some of her biggest hits.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the head of the school, Reveta Bowers, would not reveal to them if Blue Ivy attends the school, but she did reveal that the purpose of the fundraising was to help those without the financial means to attend. She said, “One of the main goals of the fundraising that evening was to raise money for financial aid.” The publication notes that around 1 in 5 students in the school receive tuition remission or financial aid.
19 Rumor Has It People Weren't Allowed To Touch Blue
Celebrities choose to live their lives in the public eye, and there is a definite downside to stardom because it seems that they are often the subject of a number of rumors. And considering that Bey and Jay-Z are one of Hollywood's power couples it's not entirely surprising that there are a fair amount of rumors about how they parent. One of these reports includes the comment about how when their first-born was younger, the couple didn't want anyone to touch her -- and not just strangers, but their friends, too.
The National Enquirer (via CelebSlam) reported on how when people came in contact with Blue Ivy they had to wear surgical masks and gloves. The publication claimed that the couple was “Taking NO chances with their beautiful, newborn baby girl Blue Ivy, ultra-protective parents Jay-Z and Beyoncé are obsessively determined to keep their infant germ-free - so before family or pals are allowed to hold their precious prize, they must first don surgical masks and gloves.” Of course, you can't always believe everything you read in the media and there is no concrete evidence to suggest that this claim is true. That said, it's still worth remarking on how much interest there is over the couple's children.
18 Bey And Jay-Z Want To Trademark Blue's Name
When celebrities name their children it's often something very different to what those who don't live in the entertainment industry would choose, and over the years there have been a few surprises; like Jason Lee's son, Pilot Inspektor Lee, and Jermaine Jackson's son, Jermajesty (get it, like Your Majesty, but with a “J”). Beyoncé and Jay's baby names are also unique, which is why they made the decision to trademark the name, Blue Ivy.
Although it proved harder to trademark her name than the couple thought because there is a company called Blue Ivy Events.
According to Daily Mail, the company already owned the name, and Beyoncé was denied her trademark, but when the news became public, Beyoncé's company BGK Trademark Holdings wanted the documents to be kept quiet, with the publication claiming that the BGK company was questioning the intent of the legal team of Blue Ivy events' owner, Veronica Morales. They claimed they were using the case to “[bother]… Mrs. Carter and disclose her confidential information to the public.”
In July of 2017, after the birth of their twins, the couple decided to trademark their names too, and according to The Guardian, they registered in the U.S. to trademark “Rumi Carter” and “Sir Carter.”
17 Blue Was A Regular At The White House, But The Twins Won't Be
Earlier on this list, it was mentioned that Beyoncé supported Michelle Obama's initiative to promote education for girls, but the two families are actually good friends.
When Jay-Z was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 2017, the nation's former president Barack Obama showed his support for the rapper in a video to celebrate those who were inducted. In it, he referred to Jay-Z as “a friend of mine” and went on to praise him for his achievements, commenting on how he believes that they understand each other, having experienced similar things in their pasts and both gone on to be successful. But the part about their children is what really stood out, and Obama said, “Jay and I are also fools for our daughters although he's going to have me beat once those two twins show up. And let's face it, we both have wives who are significantly more popular than we are.” And during President Obama's administration, Beyoncé and Jay-Z's daughter Blue Ivy was reportedly a regular in The White House, however, the twins Rumi and Sir won't have the same experience, at least not according to Jay-Z.
In an interview with CNN (via People), the musician was asked whether the twins would regulars at The White House under the new administration, to which he said, “No… not a shot.” He added, “We won't be invited, first of all.”
16 Queen Bey's MTV Pregnancy Announcement Made A Guinness World Record
Beyoncé is one of the most loved, respected, and well-known celebrities in the world, and whatever she does seems to attract a lot of attention, especially, it seems, when it has something to do with her pregnancy.
According to PopSugar, when she announced that she was pregnant with her and Jay-Z's first child, Blue Ivy, during the 2011 MTV VMAs, she created a frenzy. She stepped onto the stage to sing her track “Love on Top” and ahead of her performance, she said,
“Tonight I want you to stand up on your feet. I want you to feel the love that's growing inside of me.”
And when the song was over, she unbuttoned her blazer and put her baby bump on full display. She also made sure to rub her belly to get the message across to anyone who may have missed it.
This moment earned her the Guinness World Book of Records title for "most tweets per second recorded for a single event" -- basically because people couldn't get enough of the news and had to share their thoughts on Twitter.
This was a memorable moment, but it was not to be Beyoncé's last, and when fell pregnant for the second time she was back, breaking records again.
15 Their Twins Names Have A Very Significant Meaning
Beyoncé and Jay-Z's twins, Rumi and Sir Carter, were born on June 13, in 2017. Since this moment, the couple has been very secretive about sharing them with the media, although their approach was initially the same for their daughter, Blue Ivy, and she's now a regular on social media. That said, many fans are desperate for more information about the latest additions, and right now very little is known apart from the basic details like their names.
Speaking of their names, which were filed to be trademarked in the U.S., they may seem random but they actually hold a lot of significance for the power couple. Jay-Z revealed the meaning of their names during an interview with Rap Radar hosts Elliot Wilson and Brian Miller (via Refinery29) and told them that their daughter, Rumi, was named after the couple's “favorite poet,” of the same name (Rumi was a thirteenth-century poet and according to BBC, he is considered to be the most popular poet in the U.S.). And Sir may seem like a common word to describe a gentleman, but to Jay-Z, this was because, “Sir was like, man, come out the gate. He carries himself like that. He just came out, like, Sir.”
14 And Blue's Name May Have Been Inspired By A Novel
Now we know who or what inspired Beyoncé and Jay-Z's twins names, Rumi and Sir Carter, but what about their daughter, Blue Ivy? Well, according to Us Weekly, Beyoncé may have hinted that she and her husband were inspired by the name of their first-born thanks to Rebecca Solnit's 2005 novel, A Field Guide to Getting Lost.
The speculation first started when Beyoncé reportedly took to Tumblr to share a passage from the novel, which reads,
"The world is blue at its edges and in its depths. This blue is the light that got lost… "
"Light at the end blue end of the spectrum does not travel the whole distance from the sun to us. It disperses among the molecules of the air, it scatters in the water. Water is colorless, shallow water appears to be the color of whatever lies underneath it, but deep water is full of this scattered light, the purer the water the deeper the blue. The sky is blue for the same reason, but the blue at the horizon, the blue of the land that seems to be dissolving into the sky, is a deeper, dreamier, melancholy blue, the blue at the farthest reaches of the places where you see for miles, the blue of distance… ”
The repetition of the word blue is pretty telling, but there is no concrete evidence to suggest that this is where the couple came up with their daughter's name, and there have been reports that the name is a combination of Jay-Z's favorite color, Blue, and Beyoncé's favorite number, four, which according to Us Weekly is a reference to the Roman Numeral IV.
13 Blue Is A Little Ballerina In The Making
Blue Ivy appears to have a love for fashion, but apparently another of her interests in dancing, or ballet to be exact. In 2017, an adorable video of her at her ballet recital dancing to the song, "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire made its way into the media. The video was shared by TMZ, who noted the recital took place at Blue's school on a Saturday, and just like her famous mama, she proved that she has some serious moves.
But this wasn't the first time that she put on a show, and Daily Mail notes that in 2016, both proud parents were in the audience showing their support for their little girl at another of her dance recitals. And Blue Ivy has also made headlines for her dancing skills at public events, more than once, and when she busts a move people really seem to take notice. In 2014, when she was just a toddler, Blue made headlines as she sat on Jay-Z's lap and danced while Beyoncé performed at the VMAs. Then in 2017, Elle reported on how Beyoncé and her daughter attended the wedding of Beyoncé's creative director Todd Tourso and his future wife, and videos of the mom-and-daughter duo were shared on social media.
12 The Twins Had A Brief Stay In The Hospital For A Minor Issue
When Beyoncé gave birth to her twins, they reportedly didn't come home right away and this was because they had to spend a week and a half at UCLA Medical Center because they were suffering from a “minor issue,” TMZ reports. The publication continued, revealing that their insiders had told them the twins were "under the lights” although the insiders didn't go into more details than this, the publication presumed that this could have been to treat jaundice, as the lights are designed to lower the bilirubin in the blood which helps to eliminate jaundice.
Romper commented on the condition, informing new moms that in most cases, newborn jaundice is a common and relatively minor issue.
They continued, noting that many babies have mild jaundice which disappears on their own, but it is a condition that is especially common with those who are born prematurely, as premature babies livers are underdeveloped and therefore cannot process the extra levels of bilirubin.
TMZ later updated their news to inform fans that Beyoncé and Jay-Z had taken their twins home to a lavish Malibu mansion they had rented for the summer, and this report put fans minds at ease as the condition the twins had was obviously treated if they were able to leave the medical center.
11 They Were Delivered By The Same Doctor That Delivered Kim Kardashian's Babies
Beyoncé and Jay-Z's twins Rumi and Sir Carter were born premature, and according to People, their birth certificates reveal that they were born on Tuesday, June 13, of 2017, at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. TMZ reports that their daughter, Rumi was born first, and her brother, Sir, followed not long after.
But something else that is interesting about their birth is their connection to the Kardashian clan because the same doctor who helped deliver the Kardashian families children (including Kim Kardashian West) also delivered Beyoncé's babies, and that is, OB/GYN Dr. Paul Crane.
Jay-Z and Beyoncé wanted another child after their daughter, Blue Ivy, and ahead of the twins birth, an insider told People, “Bey and Jay are thrilled and have started sharing the news with their family and closest friends.” And we know that motherhood is something that changed Bey's life forever, because she revealed as much in the 2013 documentary Life Is But a Dream (via Us Weekly). Speaking of how she felt now that she was a mother (at this stage she only had Blue Ivy) she said, “I felt like God was giving me a chance to assist in a miracle. There is something so relieving about life taking over you like that. You're playing a part in a much bigger show. And that's what life is. It's the greatest show on Earth.”
10 This Epic Birth Reveal Of The Twins Broke Instagram Records
When Beyoncé announced that she was pregnant with Blue Ivy during her 2011 performance at the MTV VMAs she went into the Guinness World Records books because everyone freaked out on Twitter, so perhaps it's not all that surprising that when she announced on Instagram that she and Jay-Z would be adding to their family, it once again broke records.
Beyoncé shared a photo of herself on Instagram with a pregnant belly, posing against a beautiful floral backdrop, and captioned the shot with a statement about her and Jay-Z's excitement at expanding their family. She wrote, “We would like to share our love and happiness. We have been blessed two times over. We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes. - The Carters.”
And the Guinness World Records later tweeted to confirm that Beyoncé had broken the record for the most liked image on Instagram (a record that was previously held by Selena Gomez for her Coca-Cola photo, and broken in just 8 hours).
Guinness World Records also noted that within minutes of posting the photo, it became the top trending news on the social media platform. But Beyoncé's record was broken when Kylie Jenner gave birth to her daughter, Stormi Webster, and according to Harper's Bazaar, when she posted the first picture of her little girl, alongside a caption of her name, it became the most-liked photo on Instagram.
9 Little Blue Is BFFs With Kelly Rowland's Son
Long before Beyoncé's daughter, Blue Ivy, and Kelly Rowland's son, Titan, were born, their mothers had established a life-long friendship and at one point, even a working relationship on Destiny's Child. Rowland has previously spoken out about this friendship, telling Vogue Australia in 2017, that she constantly keeps in touch with her former Destiny's Child members, Bey and Michelle Williams, describing their bond as sisterly. And she gave a special shoutout to Beyoncé, saying, “[Beyoncé] an incredible woman. A woman I learned so much from. Her and Michelle and Solange. I'm really surrounded by incredible women who take the opportunities, whatever they might be and run with them. I'm truly blessed.”
But it is also adorable to know that their children are carrying on that friendship. In an interview with People, Rowland revealed that her son, Titan Jewell, who she shares with husband Tim Weatherspoon, is extremely good friends with Beyoncé and Jay-Z's daughter, despite their slight age difference of two years (Blue is the older one). She said, “They are extremely close. It's the sweetest thing. It's the greatest thing about friendship, when you're able to grow up together and your children grow up together. They act like cousins.”
8 The Kids Are Distantly Related To British Royalty
Both Beyoncé and Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, are parents of three children, but apparently, that is not the only similarity that these two families have, and according to Daily Mail, their kids are related, albeit very distantly.
This means that Beyoncé and Jay-Z's children, Blue Ivy, Rumi, and Sir, are actually distantly related to Prince William and Kate Middleton's children, and therefore British Royalty.
This, according to a report that revealed the children are 23rd cousins, twice removed.
That's pretty far removed, but this is what the family-tracing website findmypast.co.uk found out, and according to the report, the Carter children's relation to the Queen of England is through French royal heritage.
Bey and Jay-Z's kids are not the only ones distantly related to Prince William and Kate Middleton's children, and the report found that their closest Hollywood relative was actually Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's children, who are 11th cousins and related through Princess Diana (Prince William's late mother). A family historian of the site, Debra Chatfield, said of the findings, “'It's long been said that the U.S.A. and U.K. have a special relationship, and that is certainly the case between Hollywood's elite and the Royal Family.”
7 There May Be A Fragrance Line Coming Out Inspired By Bey And Jay-Z's Daughter
We know that Beyoncé and Jay-Z's children are going to want for very little in their lives because they were born into Hollywood royalty, but it's hard to imagine that at just 6-years-old, Blue Ivy may already have a fragrance line coming out. According to TMZ, Beyoncé's company wants to launch a line of Blue Ivy Carter products, and this would include a number of things ranging from hair care and clothing to video games.
It was mentioned earlier on this list that the Carters wanted to trademark their daughter's name but were having issues as there was already a company called Blue Ivy Events that had the name trademarked, however, it seems that the new application has now added “Carter” and TMZ claims that it looks as though the application would be approved. Refinery29 commented on Blue Ivy's possible range of beauty products, which according to the documents would include fragrance, creams, hair care products, skin cleansers and more, and were meant for "adults and infants." They also noted that if the application was to be approved, Blue would be the youngest celebrity to have a beauty deal.
That said, it is possible that this application for the trademark may be used much later in the little girl's life, but her parents are simply covering the bases by getting it early.
6 This Dress Blue Wore To The VMAs Cost $11,000
When it comes to fashion, it seems Blue Ivy follows in her mom's footsteps, and when she stepped out at the 2016 VMA awards held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, she did so in style. And by style, I mean she wore a couture dress that definitely doesn't come cheap, which the Los Angeles Times reporting (via People) it was a $10,950 Mischka Aoki dress called the “Grand Royalle.” The beautiful peach and gold colored gown was crafted with a lot of tulles and had a full-skirt which made Blue Ivy look like a princess; and because she wanted to follow that theme home, she also wore a Lorraine Schwartz-designed crown, and completed the look with Giuseppe Zanotti high-top sneakers that have a price tag of $565.
She accompanied her mother to the awards, and the mother-and-daughter duo seems to have an incredibly close bond (it's also adorable that Beyoncé wants to bring her daughter as her date to these events).
In fact, Beyoncé spoke about what it was like to become a mother the same year she gave birth to Blue, telling Anderson Cooper, (via People) “[Having a daughter] just gives you purpose and all of the things that my self-esteem was associated with, it's all completely different.”
5 Blue Apparently Almost Out-Bid Tyler Perry In An Auction
When you're headed to an auction, you probably don't want Blue Ivy to be in attendance because she's going to outbid you on everything you really want, at least, if Tyler Perry is to be believed. According to Refinery29, Perry attended Tina Knowles Lawson's Los Angeles event, Wearable Art Gala, which benefits the WACO (Where Art Can Occur) Theater Center, and he revealed to Today Show that Blue Ivy almost outbid him on a piece of art.
His story goes like this: "Somebody else was bidding against me. I didn't know who it was. I look over and it's [Blue Ivy]. She's taking the paddle out of Jay's hand and Beyoncé's hand and she's bidding. I'm like, 'This kid's not outbidding me today. You gonna learn today, little girl, I'm getting this painting.' But Jay-Z actually pretended to pull it out of her hand and stop her bidding. But it was for charity so it was for a great cause." In the end, Perry apparently won the artwork that had caught his eye, but partly because of Blue it did not come cheap and he is reported to have paid $20,000 for it -- which is $1000 higher than the little girl was willing to go.
4 Blue Ivy Tells Her Dad Exactly What's On Her Mind
When it comes to family, Beyoncé and Jay-Z really appear to be great parents who are focused on giving their children the best life that they can possibly have, and it seems they have raised their children in such a way that they feel they can speak their minds.
They also feel that they can say exactly how they feel, and this is something that Jay Z really appreciates.
According to Insider, Jay-Z gave an interview to David Letterman for his Netflix show My Guest Needs No Introduction, and commented on the special relationship he has with his little girl. He said, "Me and my daughter talk. I told her to get in the car the other day because she was asking a thousand questions and we had to leave for school… So we're driving, and then I just hear a little voice: 'Dad.' I turn around and she says, 'I didn't like the way you told me to get in the car the way you told me,' - she's six - 'It hurt my feelings.' I was like, 'that's the most beautiful thing you've ever said to me.'"
They don't just talk, but Jay-Z clearly also listens and cares about how his daughter feels, and to praise her for this is something truly special.
3 They Make Their Grandma Tina Knowles Very Happy
Tina Knowles was very excited when Beyoncé expanded her brood, and she gushed to Us Weekly about how wonderful it was to be a grandma again. She said, “It's amazing. It's one of the best blessings. Being a grandmother, it's not like being a mom because you don't have to have all the responsibility all the time, but they are amazing. This is my first experience around twins, and they're so different, and their personalities and they are wonderful.” She used so many lovely adjectives to describe the experience that there is no doubt about just how much Knowles loves the role of being a grandma.
But it's not just grandma Tina Knowles who is happy to have some babies in her life, but also Beyoncé, who previously discussed her parenting on Good Morning America (via Us Weekly). She said, “And I am very protective. I just want to make sure that she [Blue Ivy] can have a healthy, safe, normal life. In the back of my mind, she's my priority. And life is completely different now. I feel really, really just lucky that I can still do what I love, and now have a way bigger meaning. And that's to be her mother.”
2 Their Babies Have Inspired Jay Z To Help People Who Are Incarcerated
Many parents would argue that having a child changes your life in ways you never knew it would, and it seems that it true for Jay Z. In an interview with Power 105.1's The Breakfast Club (Via The Christian Post), Jay Z confessed, "[Fatherhood] has changed me in a way that… just knowing what's important… but I had a pretty good sense of that. It just reaffirmed all things that I believed I knew," he continued,
"It's hard man, it's difficult."
In addition to the ways that fatherhood changed him personally, it has also inspired him to do something important for men who are incarcerated, and the rapper told Time, “One in 9 black children has an incarcerated parent.” He wants to change these odds because he revealed that for Father's Day in 2017, he would be focusing his attention on supporting the organizations Southerners on New Ground and Color of Change, who raised funds on Mother's Day to help bail out 100 mothers.
He wrote, “This Father's Day, I'm supporting those same organizations to bail out fathers who can't afford the due process our democracy promises. As a father with a growing family, it's the least I can do, but philanthropy is not a long fix, we have to get rid of these inhumane practices altogether. We can't fix our broken criminal justice system until we take on the exploitative bail industry.”
1 Blue Ivy Has Featured In Her Parents' Songs
Blue Ivy was the first of Beyoncé and Jay-Z's children and her parents felt inspired by their daughter, even including her in their music. For Beyoncé, it was on the 2013 track “Blue,” and the little toddler could be heard trying to pronounce her mother's name, as well as saying “mommy” and “hold onto me." And when the music video came out the little girl appeared in that too, clearly showing off the special bond between mother and daughter.
But this is not the only time that Blue has featured on one of her mama's tracks, and according to Harper's Bazaar, she was also on the track, "Mi Gente," a remix of J Balvin and Willy William's song, with all the proceeds going to disaster victims in the Caribbean islands and Puerto Rico. So, where did Blue feature, you ask? According to the publication, it's in the pre-chorus, and fans have claimed you can hear Bey ask, "Azul, are you with me?" (Azul meaning Blue), and the five-year-old responded to her mom's question, saying, “Oh yes, I am.”
Jay-Z was also inspired by his firstborn, and on his track, “Legacy” his daughter can be heard asking, “Daddy, what's a will?”
References: Time, Christian Post, Hollywood Life, Harper's Bazaar, Time, PopSugar, Los Angeles Times, CelebSlam, Time, Daily Mail, The Guardian, People, E! Online, Karen Civil Twitter, PopSugar, Us Weekly, Refinery29, People, BBC, Us Weekly, Daily Mail, TMZ, Time, BeyBeeNon, TMZ, Romper, TMZ, People, TMZ, People, Guinness World Records, Harper's Bazaar, People, Vogue Australia, Daily Mail, TMZ, Refinery29, People, People, Refinery29, Insider, Us Weekly, Us Weekly.