By Breaking Celebrity News Staff

A Los Angeles County judge has ordered an investigation into the care of Michael Jackson's children, Prince, Paris and Blanket.

Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff, acting on his own initiative, instructed a probate court investigator to prepare a report "addressing the status of the minor children" and their 82-year-old grandmother, Katherine.

Beckloff ordered investigator Cary Ornelas "to interview the children at their school on an unannounced basis" and deliver a written report directly to him. "The report shall be provided to the court only and shall not be disseminated to any parties," he wrote.

On Wednesday, Beckloff stripped Katherine of her role as her grandchildren's legal guardian, and appointed their 34-year-old cousin, T.J. Jackson, in her place.

The development came after a bizarre week of Jackson family feuding, with claims that Katherine was missing or kidnapped or worse.

Katherine's attorney has since told us he's petitioned the court to put her back in charge of the kids, but in a shared role with T.J.