Living It Up With Blue Ivy, Rumi and Sir Carter: The Unusual World of Beyoncé and Jay-Z's 3 Kids

Are there three children who've collectively logged more private air travel than Blue Ivy Carter, Rumi Carter and Sir Carter?

Not that Beyoncé and Jay-Z's kids need to be flying anywhere to achieve a certain level of elevation, riding in style being the whole family's default setting.

"One of my most satisfying moments as a mom is when I found Blue one day soaking in the bath with her eyes closed," Beyoncé told Harper's Bazaar in 2021, sharing a very rare detail about life behind the palace-like walls. "Using blends I created and taking time for herself to decompress and be at peace."

Pretty savvy for a child who hadn't yet reached double digits. Now 11 and big sister to 6-year-old twins Rumi and Sir, Blue's life has always boasted a certain je ne sais quois, even before she was a Grammy- and VMA-winning picture of precocity, effortlessly doing Renaissance Tour choreography with her mom's dancers in front of 70,000 people.

And as benevolent eldest siblings do (Beyoncé is one too, after all), Blue has been amiably sharing the throne with her little sister and brother.

Because it was only a matter of time, the twins made their recording debut at 4, joining forces with Blue and their mom to supply the vocals for grandmother Tina Knowles' 2021 Facebook Watch series Talks With Mama Tina. "Thank you to my baby @beyonce and my beautiful grand babies," the matriarch shared at the time.

Tina, who this summer has been posting a sampling of fans' (positive) TikTok takes on Blue's dancing, has of course had a slew of reasons to be proud over the past decade—of her grandchildren and the daughter and son-in-law who are raising three little humans in their estimable image.

"It just gives you purpose," Beyoncé said of motherhood in 2012. She told CNN's Anderson Cooper that, after having Blue, "I realized why I was born and, more than anything, all of the things I want to pass onto my child. And the best way of doing that is not by preaching or telling her, but showing her by example."

Which, coincidentally, is how the 32-time Grammy winner has communicated with millions of people through her music and increasingly revelatory performance style, showing what she's about by doing. 

"My 30s were about starting my family and my life becoming more than my career," Beyoncé, who's celebrating her 42nd birthday Sept. 4, reflected to Harper's Bazaar when she turned 40. "I worked to heal generational trauma and turned my broken heart into art that would help move culture forward and hopefully live far beyond me. My 30s were about digging deeper."

As she entered her fifth decade, she continued, "My wish is for my 40s to be fun and full of freedom. I want to feel the same freedom I feel on stage every day of my life. I want to explore aspects of myself I haven't had time to discover and to enjoy my husband and my children. I want to travel without working. I want this next decade to be about celebration, joy, and giving and receiving love. I want to give all the love I have to the people who love me back."

As Jay-Z noted on a 2022 episode of pal Kevin Hart's Peacock show Hart to Heart, being "reckless" with his time was no longer an option once he became a dad.

"Time is all you have," the 53-year-old said. "That's the only thing we control, how you spend your time."

The Roc Nation mogul, who knows from busy, continued, "You're just all over the place and then you have to [ask yourself], 'What are you leaving your house for?' Every second that you spend, you're spending away from the development of these people that you brought here, that you love more than anything in the world. So what are you going to spend that time on? That changed a lot. That changed practically everything for me."

Still, even for the Carters, time is the currency that there never manages to be enough of, even when you know how you want to spend it.

"I think the most stressful thing for me is balancing work and life," Beyoncé told Elle toward the end of 2019. "Making sure I am present for my kids—dropping Blue off at school, taking Rumi and Sir to their activities, making time for date nights with my husband, and being home in time to have dinner with my family—all while running a company can be challenging. Juggling all of those roles can be stressful, but I think that's life for any working mom."

While that uncommon glimpse inside her private world sounds pretty darn relatable, credit to Beyoncé and Jay-Z for not bothering to pretend that their lives are actually just like everyone else's. From the backstage pics with Madonna, music video cameos and award show shout-outs to helicopter rides, yachts and breakdowns of size-6x designer style, Blue, Rumi and Sir are not having an average childhood.

And why should they be?

If you pay attention only to the material side of things (even the clothes alone), it could look as if Jay-Z's humorous 2012 prediction to Oprah Winfrey that Blue would turn out to be the "worst, spoiled little kid ever" had come to fruition. But it's not the kids' fault that their parents are worth upward of $1 billion.

More than anything, the rapper and business mogul born Shawn Carter and his bride of 15 years have strived to raise useful citizens of the world. And so far... so good.

"Everyone imagines they'll be a great dad," Jay-Z mused on Oprah's Master Class: Special Edition when he was a new father. "Until they're teenagers saying, 'Get away from me, Dad. You're embarrassing me!' Right? Everyone imagines that, right?"

More than a few of their fellow famous parents will assure Jay-Z that's exactly what's going to happen in a few years. But until then, the plan remains to shower the kids with enough love and support that a few fallow years of eye-rolls and slamming doors won't affect the overall dynamic.

"Feeling loved is the most important thing a child needs, you know?" Jay-Z told the U.K.'s Times in 2021. "Not 'here's this business that I'm going to hand over to you, that I'm creating for you.'"

Though he and Bey have so many irons in the investment fire there's seemingly something for everyone, the Carter children will be under no pressure to follow in either of their parents' vast footsteps, according to their dad.

His and Beyoncé's main purpose was to "make sure we provide a loving environment, be very attentive to who they want to be," he explained. "It's easy for us, as human beings, to want our children to do certain things, but we have no idea. We're just guides."

And whether they're flying private or commercial, the sky's the limit.

Scroll on for scenes from Blue, Rumi and Sir's family world:

While pregnant with her twins, the award-winning singer gave an incredible performance at the 2017 Grammys. It's safe to say Rumi and Sir Carter had the best seats in the house!

A month after welcoming her twins, the proud mom took to Instagram to gush over the babies. She wrote, "Sir Carter and Rumi 1 month today."

In July 2022, Beyoncé thanked her kids ahead of her Renaissance album release.

"I want to give a special thank you to Rumi, Sir and Blue for allowing me the space, creativity, and inspiration," she wrote on her website alongside this photo. "And a special thanks to my husband and muse, who held me down during those late nights in the studio."

The group posed together as The Proud Family for Halloween 2023.

The Houston native flashes a huge smile as she carries her babies.

Rumi joined Bey and Madonna for a backstage tour photo in July 2023 alongside Madonna's daughters Mercy, Stella and Estere.

The twins adorably take a dip in the ocean in matching outfits.

The father-daughter duo looks at the amazing views as they enjoy a boat ride together.

The "Spirit" singer kicked off 2021 with a sweet video that captured heartwarming moments with her family. "Cheers to a New Year Beyhive," she captioned her Instagram. "2020 divided us and united us. Most could not see loved ones and we felt too many losses, but we were united by our humanity."

To celebrate her 38th birthday, the award-winning singer shared behind-the-scenes pics of how she rang in her special day. In one photo, her kids help her blow out her candles.

The "Black Parade" singer honors her son during the Black Is King visual album, writing, "And to all our sons and daughters, the sun and the moon. Bow for you. You are the keys to the kingdom."

 

 

A family affair! Beyoncé strikes a pose with her daughters, as well as her mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson, during the "Brown Skin Girl" music video in Black Is King.

 

 

A moment that's too cute for words!

In March 2021, The Lion King actress shared rare photos of her little ones enjoying a beach day in Malibu, Calif.

In October 2021, Blue Ivy, 9, mom Beyoncé and more than 30 other celebs took part in a tribute video to Jay-Z that was played during his 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.

Back in June 2020, Blue Ivy won her first BET award at the 2020 BET Awards for her work on "Brown Skin Girl." Other nominees included Alicia Keys for "Underdog;" Ciara, Lupita Nyong'o, Ester Dean, City Girls and LaLa for "Melanin;" Layton Greene for "I Choose;" Lizzo and Missy Elliot for "Tempo;" and Rapsody and PJ Morton for "Afeni."

In 2020, Blue Ivy added another impressive job to her resume: an audiobook narrator. Beyoncé and Jay-Z's oldest child narrated the New York Times bestseller Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry.

Beyoncé fans were buzzing after Blue Ivy hilariously crashed grandmother Tina Lawson's 2020 Mother's Day video on Instagram. Specifically, after Tina wished all mothers a happy Mother's Day, a tiny voice chimed in and said: "And don't forget all the beautiful daughters out there, which I am one of."

The coronavirus pandemic is no joke! Thus, Blue Ivy appeared on grandmother Tina's Instagram to teach everyone the importance of hand-washing. "This is why it's very important to wash your hands," the youngster noted after a demonstration. "Because if you wash your hands, it will stay clean, but if you keep your hands dirty, you might get sick."

During a father-daughter outing to the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Los Angeles Clippers, back in March 2020, Blue Ivy became adorably starstruck when she met NBA legend LeBron James. Specifically, after some encouragement from dad Jay-Z, Blue Ivy built up the courage to ask the basketball pro for a signed ball.

"You got school on Monday?" the Los Angeles Lakers player asked. "By the time you get out of school on Monday, you'll have it."

Blue Ivy continued her winning streak as she, along with mom Beyoncé, SAINt JHN and Wizkid won the 2020 NAACP Image Award, Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration, for their song "Brown Skin Girl."

The song is featured on the Lion King: The Gift album and also won the Ashford & Simpson Songwriter's Award at the 2019 BET Soul Train Awards.

A pop culture icon! The oldest Carter kid had dad Jay-Z art direct her pic while at the 2020 Super Bowl in Miami.

Blue Ivy made a note-worthy cameo in mom Beyoncé's "Spirit" music video. The vibrant visual for The Lion King remake's anthem featured Blue twinning with her A-list mother in lavender dresses and red hair. Clearly, Blue is already following in mom's famous footsteps. 

Blue Ivy received the highest of compliments as her name became the center of a trademark battle. Namely, in a brief submitted by attorneys for Beyoncé's limited liability company, the youngster was referred to as "a cultural icon." 

The brief declared, "Blue Ivy Carter is a cultural icon who has been described as a 'mini style star' and has been celebrated for her 'fashion moments' overs [sic] the years…Her life and activities are followed extensively by the media and the public."

The mother-daughter duo literally dripped in diamonds for The Lion King world premiere in July 2019. Looking like royalty, Beyoncé and Blue walked the red carpet dressed to the nines.

Blue Ivy had her grandmother in stitches over a "corny" joke in March 2019. "Hey! So, how many petals—I mean, how many lips does a flower have?" The Carters' firstborn asked the audience.

"Well, how many?" Tina replied. 

"Two lips," Blue Ivy responded. "You get it? There's a kind of flower that's called a tulip."

At 9-years-old, Blue Ivy is already a seasoned travel. In fact, during summer 2018, the oldest Carter child enjoyed the sights and sounds of Europe as her parents completed their On The Run II performances. 

Thanks to a stylist, Blue dressed to impress while abroad.

Busted! Back in 2018, Blue Ivy reprimanded grandmother Tina for filming in a Paris theater ahead of a ballet performance.

"You're not supposed to take videos grandma," the bold kid informed Tina.

At the 2018 Wearable Art Gala, Blue Ivy and Tyler Perry went toe-to-toe over one auction item, a painting by Tiffanie Anderson. As the prolific producer detailed on TODAY, Blue kept "taking the paddle out of Jay's hand and Beyoncé's hand" in order to keep bidding. Determined to not be outbid by a child, Perry made a final bid of $20,000, $1,000 more than Blue's final bid.

Back in 2018, Blue Ivy had the Internet thoroughly impressed after she seemingly shut down her famous parents amid Camila Cabello's 2018 Grammys speech about Dreamers and immigration reform.

In fact, while seated in between her parents, Blue made a gesture to Bey and Jay, which appeared to say "shut it down" or "calm down" while the Cuban-American singer spoke.

Blue Ivy is the epitome of Black girl magic! This is thanks to the beautifully curated closet her parents have arranged for her.

In 2018, it was revealed that Manuel A. Mendez, an executive-assistant-turned-stylist, is the brains behind the famous kid's iconic wardrobe. 

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