What We Know About Beyonce And Jay-Z's Twins

Beyoncé and Jay-Z nearly broke the internet when they announced that the superstar was pregnant with twins in 2017, and the buzz hasn't died down since Rumi and Sir were born. Though this power couple has been extremely elusive about their kids' exposure to the press — their brood also includes big sister Blue Ivy, born in 2012 — the Beyhive continues to swarm over every iota of intel about the famous family. 

From Beyoncé's postpartum journey to the family's world travels and the little ones' emerging personalities, here's everything we know about Beyoncé and Jay-Z's twins.

When Beyoncé posted a photo of her baby bump, shrouded in flowers and a green veil, the picture became Instagram's most-liked photo of the year, with more than 11 million hearts, according to The Verge. "We would like to share our love and happiness. We have been blessed two times over," she said in the Feb. 1, 2017 post. "We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes."

The Madonna-esque image was the work of "Awol Erizku, a 26-year-old Ethiopian multimedia artist who has become quite the darling of New York's art scene," according to The Telegraph. "His work, which includes music and video as well as photography, examines black culture's place within American culture — and he's had a history of adapting famous tropes of Western art, such as Michaelangelos' David or Vermeer's The Girl with A Pearl Earring."

Bey's pregnancy announcement ousted the previous record-holder, pop star Selena Gomez and her iconic Coca-Cola snap, to gain the title of most-liked Instagram post ever. That is, until reality star Kylie Jenner shared a photo of her newborn daughter, Stormi, in February 2018. That post attracted more than 14.3 million likes in about a day! Okay, Beyoncé, whatcha got for us? 

Unlike George and Amal Clooney's baby duo, the genders of Beyoncé and Jay-Z's twins weren't officially revealed prior to their birth, so spectators had a field day searching for clues as to their boy-girl status. From the red and blue color choices of her pregnancy announcement photo shoot ensemble to the fact that she donned earrings that contained both blue and pink, and her decision to recycle the earrings from her "If I Were a Boy" music video, the Beyhive began gobbling up every little breadcrumb from this notoriously private superstar. 

But Bey wasn't the only one who dropped hints for fans to obsessively analyze. Former U.S. President Barack Obama seemingly indicated that the twins were both female in a congratulatory video to Jay-Z for his induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. "Jay and I are also fools for our daughters, although he's gonna have me beat once those two twins show up," he said. The most prominent clue to the sex of the babies came after their birth, however, when an onlooker spotted someone arriving with balloons and flowers that bore both blue and pink colors, along with a card that read, "B+J." 

Their names and sexes were eventually confirmed in the most epic Beyoncé and Jay-Z way possible... 

Although Beyoncé is one of the rare celebrities who seems to maintain a tight grip over the the press (well, most of the time, anyway), the tabloids managed to uncover the names of her twins, Sir and Rumi, in a roundabout way. According to TMZ, "the company run by Bey and Jay that owns the trademarks to their names filed legal docs ... right around the time the twins went home — to secure rights to the names Rumi Carter and Sir Carter." The trademarks were reportedly for "fragrances, cosmetics, key chains, baby teething rings, strollers, mugs, water bottles, hair ribbons, playing cards, tote bags, sports balls, rattles and novelty items." That's both crazy and kind of awesome, right?

TMZ also did a little digging and surmised that the twin's name may have been derived from from a 13th century poet named Rumi and a famous poem that references a "sir." In a particularly highbrow moment for a tabloid, the site published an excerpt from the poem: "Bring the pure wine of / love and freedom. / But sir, a tornado is coming. / More wine, we'll teach this storm / A thing or two about whirling."

Beyoncé's long-time hairdresser, Chuck Amos, may have accidentally tipped off the internet to the exact moment she went into labor after posting a photo alongside the pop icon with the caption, "Hang in there, Mama! [Heart] You @Beyonce!!" on June 12, 2017. Speculation ran rampant after the image went live.

Some outlets reported that she gave birth to the twins on either that day or the following day, but Beyoncé's official Instagram post indicated that they were born June 13 or June 14, depending on the time zone. Where is Sherlock Holmes when you need him? As the internet went wild trying to pin down the delivery, Beyonce's father, Mathew Knowles, did, in fact, confirm the babies' arrival via an Instagram post of his own shared on June 18, 2017: "They're here! #beyonce #twins #jayz #happybirthday," the proud granddad announced.

As for the twins' actual parents? They took their sweet time announcing the birth. Confirmation may have been delayed due to a minor health issue that kept them in the hospital for more than a week. According to TMZ, the twins were born prematurely and kept "under the lights" at the UCLA Medical Center, which the tab surmised was to treat jaundice, a "minor" medical issue. By June 26, 2017, TMZ reported that the twins had been released and were settling in at the Carter family's "spectacular $400,000-a-month Malibu rental."

In the days surrounding the twins' birth, Jay-Z reportedly decided to step up and help out other fathers who might be far less fortunate for Father's Day 2017. In an op-ed penned for TIME, Carter wrote that he wanted to help men who were incarcerated after being accused of a crime but couldn't afford bail due to the "predatory lending scheme" of bail bondsmanship. 

"If you're from neighborhoods like the Brooklyn one I grew up in, if you're unable to afford a private attorney, then you can be disappeared into our jail system simply because you can't afford bail. Millions of people are separated from their families for months at a time — not because they are convicted of committing a crime, but because they are accused of committing a crime," the rapper wrote. "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." 

On July 14, 2017, Beyoncé shared the first official photo of her twins on Instagram to celebrate their one-month birthday. The post confirmed that the twins' names are indeed Sir and Rumi, and the elegant style of the photo harkened back to the record-breaking image Beyoncé posted to announce her pregnancy.

The following year, while gracing the cover of the illustrious September issue of Vogue, Beyoncé offered fans a rare glimpse at some of the very personal details about the twins' birth story and her postpartum journey. As many news reports had previously suggested, her delivery was much more difficult than it had been with Blue Ivy. "I was swollen from toxemia and had been on bed rest for over a month," Beyoncé revealed. "My health and my babies' health were in danger, so I had an emergency C-section. We spent many weeks in the NICU."

Beyoncé credited Jay-Z with being her rock throughout the ordeal, adding, "I am proud to have been a witness to his strength and evolution as a man, a best friend, and a father. I was in survival mode and did not grasp it all until months later." She also expressed her empathy for other women whose delivery experiences have been traumatic. "Today I have a connection to any parent who has been through such an experience," she said.

Beyoncé hasn't minced words about grappling with the pressures women — especially in her career field — face after giving birth. After Blue Ivy was born in 2012, Beyoncé told Vogue that she "believed in the things society said" and challenged herself to lose the baby weight in three months. She admitted that she even scheduled a tour to ratchet up the pressure on herself to complete her goal. "Looking back, that was crazy," she said.

Bey approached recovery from her twins very differently. The day she delivered Rumi and Sir, Beyonce said she weighed 218 pounds and realized that her body was forever changed. "My core felt different. It had been major surgery," she said, addressing the C-section. "I needed time to heal, to recover [so] I gave myself self-love and self-care, and I embraced being curvier. I accepted what my body wanted to be." 

Six months later, Beyonce began to prepare for her headlining return at the Coachella music festival. "To this day my arms, shoulders, breasts, and thighs are fuller," she said. "I have a little mommy pouch, and I'm in no rush to get rid of it. I think it's real." In other words, when she gave birth to the twins, she welcomed a new side of herself into the world as well.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z's 2018 "On the Run II" tour featured home footage of the couple's most personal moments on the display screen, as is tradition for this power couple. However, this time, the updated footage also included some images of the twins, along with their mom, dad, and big sis Blue Ivy. Bey's mother, Tina Knowles, captured the sweet moment in this Instagram snap, showing that the two were honored guests at their mother and father's fairytale-esque vow renewal ceremony to celebrate 10 years of marriage.

The footage of the twins was a welcome surprise to fans of the Carters, particularly considering Beyonce and Jay-Z previously ruffled some feathers with faux twins. Say what? Yes, the tour also reportedly included still images of both Jay and Bey holding twins, but a rep said those weren't the couple's biological children, reported BuzzFeed. What a buzz kill, right? 

Beyoncé and Jay-Z have introduced their newest additions to their globe-trotting lifestyle. In December 2018, Beyoncé traveled to India to perform at the ultra glamorous wedding ceremony of Isha Ambani (daughter to India's wealthiest billionaire, Mukesh Ambani), and she reportedly brought the twins along for the exotic ride.

During the family vacation, Beyoncé also broke her and Jay-Z's tradition of keeping the kiddos' visage private. Mama actually shared images of the two tykes enjoying some time outside on her website. In one of these rare shots, little Rumi and Sir are pictured side by side in their matching white tops playing in the surf. Their faces aren't visible in the picture, but it's clear that they've grown a lot since our last glimpse. Beyoncé also shared a candid of her and Rumi enjoying the beautiful scenery. Though Rumi's face was again obscured, the snap still offered fans an intimate mother-daughter moment they rarely get to witness.

Chances are, Beyoncé and Jay-Z's fans won't get to see as much of Rumi and Sir as they have of Blue Ivy until the twins are old enough to play dress-up on red carpets, create meme-able moments at awards shows, and spend their parents' money at auctions like big sis. However, grandma Tina Knowles has given fans a bit of a primer about what to expect if and when the twins do step into public life to join the rest of their family.

Knowles revealed that even though they're still young, Rumi and Sir have already developed very distinct personalities. "The girl is really just going to rule the world," she told Us Weekly in early 2019, "and the boy is kind of laid back and chills like the dad." Knowles also revealed that big sis Blue Ivy still rules the Carter roost: "She's the Queen B. The second Queen B." It sounds like Rumi will be known as Queen R soon enough!