The #FreeBritney campaign has been gaining traction in recent months

For the past 12 years, Britney Spears – one of the most famous pop stars in the world – has been under the 'conservatorship' of her father Jamie.

As you may remember, Britney suffered a very public breakdown in 2008 following her divorce from Kevin Federline. Her father was appointed her conservator and gained control of everything from her finances, to her relationships, and even when she could see her two kids Sean and Jayden (now 14 and 13).

Fans have launched a #FreeBritney campaign years ago on social media in a bid to put pressure on Jamie to free the pop star from what is a pretty restrictive way of life for a 38-year-old mother-of-two, and the campaign has ramped up in recent months. Now Spears has launched a legal bid to remove her father as her conservator.

Instead, she wants Jodi Montgomery, who has been her temporary state-appointed conservator for the past year, to take control of her financial affairs on a permanent basis.

Documents lodged in court on Monday outline how Spears is “strongly opposed” to her father having sole responsibility for her finances – and also that she expects her new plan to be “aggressively contested” by Jamie.

Interestingly – or perhaps disappointingly – for fans, the court documents reveal that she has no intention of going on tour again anytime soon (which is probably just as well, given the ongoing situation in the music industry.) The conservatorship is broken into three phases: the first was when “conservators rescued her from collapse, exploitation by predatory individuals and financial ruin”; the second describes her “performing years”, while the third and current phase states that she has “no desire … to perform at this time” and that the conservatorship must be changed to “reflect the major changes in her current lifestyle and her stated wishes.”

Fans, meanwhile, have been continuously expressing concern on Britney's Instagram videos, with some claiming that they seem out of character for her, and that her account is being managed by someone else and the videos being posted are old.

Conspiracy theorists or just Britney being Britney?