Sting has shared why his children won’t live off his money and “make their own way” instead.
The Police frontman recently appeared on CBS Sunday Morning, promoting how he is due to star in the musical The Last Ship, based on his childhood in Wallsend.
During the conversation, he remarked that he wouldn’t let his children live off his money. “All of my kids have been blessed with this extraordinary work ethic,” he explained, “whether it’s the DNA of it or whether I’ve said to them, ‘Guys, you’ve got to work. I’m spending our money, I’m paying for your education. You’ve got shoes on your feet. Go to work.’”
He added that he didn’t think this was “cruel”, instead demonstrating “trust in them that they will make their own way. They’re tough, my kids.”
“I think the worst thing you can do to a kid is to say, ‘You don’t have to work’,” Sting continued. “I think that’s a form of abuse that I hope I’m never guilty of.” Watch the moment down below:
Recently, Sting reportedly paid his former Police bandmates over $800,000 (£598,000) in royalties amidst a lawsuit filed last September.
Guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland took the frontman and his publishing company to court in London for “substantial damages” last year, after years of legal disputes between the group.
The pair claimed Sting owed them between $2million (£1.5million) and $10.75million (£8million) in unpaid royalties – with their lawyers claiming the figure could rise higher, as their sum excluded interest.
In response, Sting’s lawyer claimed the pair were “substantially overpaid”.
Elsewhere, Sting honoured Brian Wilson with a tender ‘God Only Knows’ cover in Germany.