Britney Spears: Singer's conservatorship case explained

US pop star Britney Spears' career has been in the hands of legal guardians in an arrangement known as a conservatorship since 2008, when she faced a public mental health crisis.

The court-ordered agreement gave her father control over her estate and other aspects of her life.

But the arrangement could now be nearing its end. The 39-year-old singer has been seeking to dismiss her father from the role and has called for him to be charged with "conservatorship abuse".

He has filed court papers suggesting the "grounds for establishment of a conservatorship may no longer exist".

A conservatorship is granted by a court for individuals who are unable to make their own decisions, like those with dementia or other mental illnesses.

Spears' conservatorship is split into two parts - one for her estate and financial affairs, the other for her as a person. Under this legal agreement, she has not controlled her finances since 2008.

Jamie Spears was initially in charge of both parts of the conservatorship but stepped down as his daughter's personal conservator in 2019 for health reasons.

Confidential court records obtained by The New York Times showed that the conservatorship restricted aspects of her life, ranging from who she dated to the colour of her kitchen cabinets.

The papers also said the pop star had voiced serious opposition to the conservatorship earlier than had previously been reported.

"She feels the conservatorship has become an oppressive and controlling tool against her," a court investigator wrote in a 2016 report. The conservatorship had "too much control", the singer said, according to the account of the conversation. "Too, too much!"

In November 2020, a judge declined to remove Mr Spears but named financial firm the Bessemer Trust as a co-conservator of her estate instead.

A month later, the judge extended Mr Spears' conservatorship until September 2021.

Britney Spears began behaving erratically in 2007 after her divorce from Kevin Federline was finalised and she lost custody of their two children.

A series of public incidents raised concern about her mental welfare, with the star making headlines for shaving her head and hitting a photographer's car with an umbrella.

In 2008 she was twice admitted to hospital under a temporary psychiatric assessment ruling, including after an incident in which she allegedly refused to surrender her sons in a stand-off involving police.

Her temporary conservatorship was established around this time and was gradually extended for over a decade since - although few specifics of the order have been made public.

In the years under the conservatorship, Spears released three albums, held a successful Las Vegas residency and made numerous television appearances, including a stint as a judge on the US X Factor.

For years, the singer herself never commented on the conservatorship battle or #FreeBritney fan campaign directly - with her social media persona tending to be upbeat and unrelated to the headlines surrounding her case.

But in June 2021, she was allowed to address the court directly. In explosive testimony, the star asked the judge to end the "abusive" conservatorship so she could get married and have more children.

"I want to end this conservatorship without being evaluated," Spears told the court in an emotional 20-minute address.

Spears condemned the arrangement, saying it forced her to use birth control to prevent her getting pregnant.

"This conservatorship is doing me way more harm than good," she said, speaking remotely. "I deserve to have a life."

In July, Spears addressed the court for a second time, suggesting that she was prepared to "press charges" against her father.

"I have to get rid of my dad and charge him with conservatorship abuse," she said.

Conservatorship abuse can involve financially exploiting or imposing excessive personal restrictions on someone in your care.

In December 2020, Jamie Spears said he would "continue to love Britney unconditionally" while admitting they had not spoken for several months.

"I have and will continue to provide unwavering love and fierce protection against those with self-serving interests and those who seek to harm her or my family," he said in a statement.

But following his daughter's court testimony, his lawyer said he was "sorry to see his daughter suffering and in so much pain".

Yet he denied Mr Spears was responsible for the restrictions apparently placed on his daughter's private life and requested an inquiry into the testimony.

Following Britney's petition in July to have him replaced, Mr Spears said he was prepared to participate in an "orderly transition" and pass on his responsibilities to a new conservator.

Yet he insisted there were "no actual grounds" for him to step back and gave no timetable for when he would relinquish his role.

In September, though, Mr Spears filed his own petition that asked the court to consider whether the conservatorship itself should continue.

It said Mr Spears wants "what is best for his daughter" and acknowledges she wants "control of her life back without the safety rails of a conservatorship".

"If Ms Spears wants to terminate the conservatorship and believes that she can handle her own life, Mr Spears believes that she should get that chance," the document added.

If the court agrees with him, it could finally bring an end to this long-running, bitterly contested and highly acrimonious saga.