How the release of her autobiographical book, ‘The woman in me,’ brought back memories of the years she spent under her father’s legal conservatorship and reignited controversy regarding her situation and the management of her estate in the past. A new chapter in her life, where the singer once again raises her voice.
One of the most anticipated books of 2023 was undoubtedly Britney Spears’s autobiography, ‘The woman in me.’ Since its announcement, fans and the media were eager to discover the memoirs of the ‘Princess of Pop,’ in which she discusses her paternal conservatorship, her strained relationship with her sister Jamie Lynn, and her past romances. Despite delays, it finally hit the shelves in October and has already become a trending topic.
Her father’s legal conservatorship: a prominent theme in ‘The woman in me.’
If we type Britney Spears’ name into our search engine, two things will likely be the first to appear: her recent autobiographical book and the control of her estate by her father, James Parnell Spears, for over a decade.
From February 2008 until September 30, 2021, Britney was under her father’s legal conservatorship after being declared unfit: at the age of 27, her nervous breakdowns, suicide attempts, and admission to a neuropsychiatric hospital exposed the pop star’s mental health issues. During this period, her father not only managed her estate through a trust but also oversaw her finances and aspects of her private life.
Although the singer repeatedly petitioned to have her father removed as her legal guardian, the law consistently sided with her parent. In a public hearing in Los Angeles, Britney expressed that the control over her private life was abusive.
#FreeBritney: from ‘he saved my life’ to calling for jail for her father.
As documented in Britney’s mother, Lynne Spears’s memoir, the family owed a lot of money, more than both parents were earning. The young singer’s fame solved their financial woes. Jamie Spears considered his daughter’s legal conservatorship to be a full-time job for which he received a salary. According to Forbes magazine, he earned around 5 million dollars in legal fees, in addition to managing his daughter’s fortune valued at 60 million dollars, receiving a percentage of her tour earnings, and ticket sales.
2020 marked a rupture in their relationship when Britney initiated legal proceedings to free herself from her father’s conservatorship. Her fans supported the singer’s plea with the #FreeBritney movement, which garnered worldwide attention. Although the initial attempt failed, the controversy surrounding the Spears family persisted. Finally, on September 30, 2021, she succeeded in having her father removed from her conservatorship.
According to her recent book, the singer accepted her father’s conservatorship for 14 years for the sake of her two children, Jayden and Sean Preston. Additionally, in her memoirs, she recounts that she once requested anyone but her father to be appointed as her guardian. ‘Even though I begged the court to literally appoint anyone else, my father got the job,’ she shares in her autobiography.
Seeking specialized legal advice on the matter and understanding the rights and duties of the involved parties ensure that processes unfold within established legal parameters.
