Spears said she had been pursued by photographers while driving

"Princess Diana got killed by one of these people," the pop singer was quoted as saying in US magazine People. "They're crossing the line."

Last week she was photographed driving with her son in her lap.

She blamed aggressive photographers for the incident but later conceded she had made a "mistake".

'Cannot help'

The 24-year-old singer said she had previously been pursued by photographers while driving.

"I've pulled over and asked the cops 'Could you please help me? They've been driving recklessly back there' and they say 'Sorry ma'am, I can't help you.'"

Princess Diana and her lover, Dodi Al Fayed, died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 while being pursued by photographers on motorbikes.

Diana's chauffeur Henri Paul, who also died, was subsequently blamed for the crash after blood tests showed he was over the legal limit of alcohol.

I'm not expecting people to pity me - I'm just telling the truth Britney Spears

Spears told People magazine that she rarely takes her son, Sean Preston, outside because she fears pushy photographers.

"I don't really go out with him," Spears said. "It's kind of sad because I can't walk down the street with a stroller."

"I'm not expecting people to pity me. I'm just telling the truth," she said. "I sound bitter. I'm not bitter. I'm doing great. I really am. I'm happy."

Spears, whose last album was released in 2004, said she was eager to perform again.

"That feeling of being on the stage, knowing it's your best - I love that," she said. "I needed a break. I needed to be hungry again."

She said her new album, due for release later this year, would fill a "huge lull" in the pop scene.