Britney Spears is used to a life in the spotlight but, for the most part, her two sons have managed to stay out of the public eye.
So who exactly are the princess of pop’s children? Below, everything we know about her two boys.
Who is the father of Britney Spears’ children?
Spears was married to dancer Kevin Federline for three years, between 2004 and 2007. The pair were engaged in July of 2004, and married just two months later in a surprise ceremony in California.
“I met her at a club in Hollywood, Joseph’s. Our eyes met and that was it. We just hit it off right away,” Federline later told People in 2008. “I was madly in love with her. Everything just seemed so right. I didn’t see it as too fast or too slow.”
On September 14, 2005, just four days before their first wedding anniversary, the couple welcomed their first child, Sean Preston.
Almost exactly a year later, on September 12, 2006, their second child was born, Jayden James.
However just eight weeks later, Britney filed for divorce from Kevin, citing irreconcilable differences.
Who has custody of Britney Spears’ children?
After their separation was finalised in July 2007, Britney and Kevin agreed on joint custody of their sons. Around the same time, Britney entered into a court-ordered conservatorship managed by her father, Jamie.
In the nearly two decades that have followed however, the pair have had numerous custody arrangements.
Three months after their divorce was finalised, Kevin was temporarily granted sole custody of the boys, with a judge saying Britney’s “habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol” made her unfit to parent.
Then, in January 2008, Britney allegedly refused to hand the boys back over to Kevin following a routine visit, resulting in police being called to her home. According to StyleCaster, Britney locked herself in a room with their youngest son, Jayden, which resulted in her being placed under a psychiatric hold at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles.
In the years that followed, Britney and Kevin reportedly returned to a 50/50 custody arrangement, however this changed again in September 2019, after an altercation between Britney’s father, Jamie, and her eldest son, Sean.
Jayden witnessed the incident, with his attorney telling People, “There was a disagreement that occurred while Britney and the children were visiting with Jamie at his home that led to a physical altercation that was observed by [their other son] Jayden. Britney did the right thing and removed the children and took them out of there, but the trauma to the kids is nonetheless.”
It resulted in Britney’s custody being lessened to 30/70, and a three-year restraining order restricting Jamie’s access to the boys.
In the most recent update to their custody arrangement, Britney has reportedly given both boys permission to move to Hawaii with Kevin and his family, per People.
The boys will move with their dad and his wife, Victoria Prince, as well as the couple’s other two children, Peyton, 8, and Jordan, 11.
According to the outlet, the move will bring about additional professional opportunities for Kevin, while Victoria has been offered a role at a Hawaiian university.
Have Britney’s sons ever spoken publicly?
Both boys publicly discussed their fractured relationship with their mum in September, 2022. In an appearance on ITV, Jayden, now 15, said:
“I 100% think [our relationship] can be fixed. It’s just going to take a lot of time and effort. I just want her to get better mentally. When she gets better I really want to see her again.”
He then took the opportunity to speak to his mother directly, adding, “I love you a lot, I hope for the best for you. Maybe one day we can sit down and talk again… and have a normal conversation.”
Jayden went on to discuss why he and his brother were absent from Britney’s wedding to now-husband, Sam Asghari.
“At the time it just wasn’t a good time to go. I’m not saying that I’m not happy for her. I’m really happy for them, but she didn’t invite the whole family and then if it was just going to be me and Preston. I just don’t see how that situation would have ended on good terms,” he said.
Perhaps most controversially, Jayden also discussed his mother’s longstanding conservatorship, which was the source of much public outrage in recent years until it finally ended in November, 2021.
“I know everybody blames [Jamie Spears] for the conservatorship. It was a father caring for his daughter. Maybe the conservatorship took a little too long. That is why people developed a hatred for him. That is why my mum was angry that she was working too hard… But he doesn’t deserve all the hatred he is getting in the media. Mum is ceasing to realize how much he cares about her. I love him with all my heart. He was just trying to be a father.”
