Madonna: 'Britney Spears was robbed of a normal childhood'

Madonna thinks Britney Spears was robbed of a normal childhood.

The 49-year-old reigning Queen of Pop believes the Toxic singer's recent troubles are because she was "watched" and "judged" at a young age.

She says, "I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that she was never allowed to have a childhood.

"She didn't get to grow up and make mistakes privately and try things out and just be a kid and be innocent.

"She's been watched, judged and been under a microscope since she's been a teenager. It's hard to evolve that way."

The Material Girl singer -- who revealed earlier this week that she plans to open a multi-million dollar school for girls in Malawi -- also spoke about her own career and life as working mum, while promoting new album Hard Candy.

The recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee says her children -- Lourdes, 11, Rocco, seven and adopted two-year-old, David Banda -- pine for a "normal mom".

"'When are you coming home?' 'Why are you always working?' 'Why can't you just be like a normal mom?' they plead.

"I just remind them about all the things that they have, and that if I didn't do what I did they wouldn't have those things.

"They get to travel a lot, they get to do a lot of interesting things and meet a lot of interesting people. Usually that shuts them up.

The singer, married to movie director Guy Ritchie, also revealed the costumes that have transformed her image over the decades are all stored in a "private chamber", including her famous 'Like A Virgin' wedding dress.