The billionaire Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder Elon Musk appeared in court today amid his ongoing custody dispute with Canadian musician Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher. According to KVUE, Musk, who arrived flanked by a retinue of private security guards, was a participant in a hearing about the custody of his children with Boucher at the Travis County family courthouse in Austin. The court session, which the public had anticipated, was quickly closed to observers upon the request of both parties, raising security and privacy concerns.

Reportedly a rare public sighting of Musk in the area, the tech mogul has a significant presence in Central Texas with Tesla's Gigafactory and The Boring Company operations already established and potential plans for relocating SpaceX and X headquarters to the locale. The custody battle has unfolded in both California and Texas courts with parents locking horns over the care of their progeny. In the midst of this legal tango, an emotional plea surfaced on the social platform X, owned by Musk himself, from his former partner's mother. Sandy Garossino expressed her distress at being cut-off from her grandchildren, "It was nice seeing you on Father’s Day. I hope you got the card that I helped X make. He was so proud of it," Garossino wrote. "I’m writing here as the only way I have to reach you. As you know, my 93 year old mother is now at end-of-life palliative care," according to an interview obtained by The Austin American Statesman.

Inside the courtroom, State District Judge Catherine Mauzy made short work of the public attendees, ordering them out after attorneys from both sides appealed for a private proceeding.

Elon Musk's personal life has always managed to find the spotlight almost as much as his business ventures, and spats involving large families and custody can turn into public soap operas, regardless of the protagonist's stature. Musk has fathered at least 12 children with three different women, his latest with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis. The children's welfare is the focal point in these legal skirmishes, which are all too common amongst the high-powered and the celebrated.