Many aspects of Britney Spears’ finances and personal life have been controlled by her father and others for the past 13 years under a form of legal guardianship called a conservatorship.

It was set up in 2008, after the US pop star, known for hits like Oops I Did It Again! and Toxic, faced a public mental health crisis.

A court released the singer from the conservatorship on Friday.

Why was the conservatorship set up?

The singer 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.

A temporary conservatorship was established around this time and made permanent later that year.

In recent court filings, her father Jamie’s lawyers had said the conservatorship was “necessary to protect Britney in every sense of the word”. They said: “Her life was in shambles and she was in physical, emotional, mental and financial distress.”

What is the conservatorship?

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 was split into two parts – one for her estate and financial affairs, the other for her as a person.

Jamie Spears was in charge of both parts but stepped down as his daughter’s personal conservator in 2019 citing health reasons, replaced by a court-appointed care professional.

Mr Spears was suspended as conservator of her financial estate in September 2021, replaced by an accountant chosen by Britney and her lawyer.

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.

What does the conservatorship control?

The conservatorship has power over her finances and career decisions plus major personal matters such as her visits with her teenage sons and whether she can get remarried.

She told a court in June: “I want to be able to get married and have a baby. I was told right now in the conservatorship I am not able to get married and have a baby.” The conservators wouldn’t let her have her birth control removed, she claimed.

She also said she was forced to go on tour, made to take medication she didn’t want and go into rehab.

Court records obtained by The New York Times showed that its reach even extended to the colour of her kitchen cabinets.

A documentary made by the newspaper also alleged that the singer’s phone and bedroom had been bugged by security staff working for her father.