Entertainment

Michael Jackson would support Britney Spears in conservatorship battle, says son

The late singer’s eldest child, Prince, appeared on Good Morning Britain.
The late singer’s eldest child, Prince, appeared on Good Morning Britain. The late singer’s eldest child, Prince, appeared on Good Morning Britain.

Michael Jackson’s son Prince has said the late singer would “wholeheartedly support” Britney Spears’s campaign to end her conservatorship.

Spears is on the cusp of regaining charge of her affairs for the first time since a court deemed her unfit in 2008 after she suffered a series of mental breakdowns.

The conservatorship – a complex legal arrangement usually reserved for the very old or sick – could be brought to an end before the year is out.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain by video call, Prince Jackson was asked what his father would make of the #FreeBritney movement.

The 24-year-old said: “That is a very tough question just because I don’t like to put words in my father’s mouth.

“And I can’t say that I ever heard him mention anything about that, and obviously this is something that has really come to light in recent years.

“But knowing my father and the compassion that he had for individuals who wanted to remain in control of their own life – as it was his goal to be in control of his own life – I would think that he would be very supportive of her cause and he would understand the place that she is coming from.

“I think that he would wholeheartedly support her.”

Britney Spears conservatorship
Britney Spears conservatorship Britney Spears has been the subject of a conservatorship since 2008 (PA)

Prince, the eldest of Jackson’s three children, said he still hears his father’s voice when doing philanthropic work, such as hosting the annual Thriller Night Halloween party at the family’s estate.

He said: “That is really when I hear my father’s voice the most because those are the times when you struggle the most.

“You almost wonder, ‘How can I continue to keep doing this?’ and it is during those moments that I hear him, like: ‘Somebody has to do it, you have to do it, you have to keep pushing forward and it is important that we do this.’

“He is always on my shoulder, in my ear, motivating me to keep that moral compass pointing north.”

Jackson, one of the most influential musicians thanks to his era-defining albums and live performances, died in 2009 aged 50 following an overdose of the anaesthetic propofol.