Miley Cyrus is 'not taking sides' in her parents' divorce

The 'Can't Be Tamed' hitmaker is said to be 'upset' at her parents ' 49-year-old singer Billy Ray Cyrus and 43-year-old mother Tish ' getting a divorce after 17 years of marriage and hopes to keep her feelings on the matter private.

A source told People.com: 'Miley is not taking any sides on this. She has been upset recently. She's trying to keep everything private while her family works through this.'

Billy Ray filed divorce papers on October 26, and announced the pair were hoping for people to pray for them to get through the emotional time.

In a statement, he said: 'As you can imagine, this is a very difficult time for our family. We are trying to work through some personal matters. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers."

The pair are expected to file for joint custody of their three youngest children Miley, 17 Noah, 10 and Braison, 16.

News of the divorce comes at a difficult time for Miley ' she is thought to have split up with her boyfriend, Australian hunk Liam Hemsworth, for the second time recently.