Britney Spears charged with driving under the influence after arrest by California police in March

Britney Spears has been charged with driving under the influence in the US over an incident nearly two months ago that led to her arrest.

The 44-year-old pop star was charged with a single misdemeanour count of driving under the combined influence of alcohol and at least one drug, a district attorney's office in California said.

Spears will be offered the chance to plead guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving involving alcohol and/or drugs - a common resolution for someone ​who has shown a willingness to undergo treatment.

A representative for the star said earlier this month that Spears had voluntarily checked into a rehabilitation facility. She will not have to attend a court hearing scheduled for Monday and her lawyers can instead appear on her behalf.

On 4 March, Spears was arrested after she was pulled over for driving her black BMW fast and erratically near her home, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) said.

At the time, the CHP said the singer was arrested and taken to a Ventura County jail after taking a series of field sobriety tests during which she seemed to be impaired.

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In a statement issued to Sky News' US partner NBC, a representative for Spears described the incident as "completely inexcusable".

"Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law and hopefully this can be the first step in long-overdue change that needs to occur in Britney's life," they continued. "Hopefully, she can get the help and support she needs during this difficult time."

The representative added that the singer's loved ones were "going to come up with an overdue-needed plan to set her up for success for wellbeing".

Spears had been under a conservatorship that controlled many of her personal and financial decisions until a judge ended the arrangement in 2021.

Fans had launched a "Free Britney" movement, while the singer's family argued suffered from mental illness and that the conservatorship was meant to protect her and her $60m estate.

(c) Sky News 2026: Britney Spears charged with driving under the influence after arrest by California police i