Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, arguably the biggest A-list couple of the modern era, have been married for two years, but since announcing their divorce, it’s taken them eight years to finally come to an agreement. Why does it take four times as long to resolve as the marriage itself?

Part of the answer is that it was a particularly messy divorce, complicated by a bitter legal battle involving their children and a French vineyard they purchased together.

Some of those issues still need to be resolved, in what Jolie’s lawyers called “a long-term ongoing process.”

Celebrity lawyer Chris Melcher told BBC News the divorce settlement took an unusually long time.

“This is much longer than any divorce we typically see,” he said.

“But they initially had a custody dispute and then it started to revolve around the winery they co-owned, which has been the focus of their battle over the past few years.”

Melcher explained that many celebrities want to get divorced quickly and move on.

“A lot of times, with a case of this size, we can resolve it in six months, up to a year. Eight years is really a sign of more to come.

“It’s an inability to let go and a desire to really hurt the other person.”

Kate Daly, co-founder of online divorce company Amicable, told the BBC that cases like this are very different from the average divorce.

“This is an industry … (where they can afford) a lot of expensive lawyers,” she said. “Most people can’t afford eight years. It’s an industry and it’s a bad example – we have to get (ordinary) people away from that narrative.”

Jolie, 49, and Pitt, 61, met on the set of the 2005 film Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

“Because of this movie, we ended up coming together and doing all these crazy things, and I think we found this weird friendship and partnership that just happened,” Jolie told Vogue in 2007.

Both have been married before – Pitt to Friends star Jennifer Aniston and Jolie to actors Jonny Lee Miller (1996-2000) and Billy Bob Thornton ( 2000 to 2003) married.

Jolie and Pitt have six children together.

Jolie adopted Maddox from Cambodia in 2002, a few months after he was born. Pitt adopted him after he and Jolie began dating.

In 2005, the couple adopted a few-month-old daughter, Zahara, from Ethiopia.

The couple’s first biological child, Shiloh, was born in Namibia in 2006. Earlier this year, Shiloh reportedly filed a petition with the court to have Pitt removed from her name.

Their son Pax was adopted from Vietnam in 2007 when he was three, and twins Knox and Vivienne were born in 2008.

The couple last appeared on the red carpet together in November 2015 for the movie “By the Sea,” in which they co-starred. The film tells the story of an unhappy couple, written and directed by Jolie.

The couple rarely talks about their relationship, but while promoting the movie, Jolie told The Daily Telegraph: “Brad and I have our issues.

“We have arguments and problems like any other couple. Sometimes we drive each other crazy and want space, but the problems in the movie are not unique to us.”

In September 2016, many were shocked by the news that Jolie had filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences.”

It is understood she filed for divorce the day after the incident on the private jet.

Pitt was initially accused of assaulting his then 15-year-old son Maddox on a flight from France to Los Angeles. The FBI and social workers reviewed the claims but took no action. Pitt has denied wrongdoing.

Then in 2022, legal documents for the vineyard dispute Revealed Jolie accuses Pitt He drunkenly attacked her and her two children during the flight.

At the time, a source close to the actor told the BBC that her claims were false.

Interview with Vogue magazine in 2020Jolie said she left Pitt for the “well-being” of her family.

“This is the right decision,” she said. “I will continue to focus on their recovery.”

Interviewed by GQ in 2017Pitt spoke about his decision to quit smoking and drinking, calling the breakup a “huge impetus for change.”

Regarding the divorce, Pitt said he and Jolie decided to abandon the path of “vitriol and hatred” and work together to work things out, adding that they were committed to working it out amicably and privately.

Their attempts to reach an agreement on divorce and child custody appeared to be intense and drawn-out.

In 2019, a judge declared the couple officially single, but the divorce still needs to be finalized.

They reached a custody agreement in 2018, but it appeared to fall apart. In 2021, Pitt was awarded joint custody after a court battle, but the private judge in charge of the case was later removed because he did not disclose his business relationship with Pitt’s lawyer.

This raises the possibility of a new custody case, but nothing has yet been made public.

While the divorce saga may now be coming to an end, another Vineyard-related legal battle is still ongoing.

Pitt and Jolie purchased Miraval Castle together in 2008 and were married in its chapel in 2014.

But according to Pitt’s lawsuit, Jolie sold her shares to a spirits manufacturer owned by a Russian oligarch. He is suing his ex-wife over the sale of her shares in the estate, saying they agreed not to sell their shares without each other’s permission. Jolie has yet to comment publicly.

Few details of the divorce proceedings have been revealed. In the United States, private judges are often hired to mediate disputes between divorced celebrities for privacy reasons.

Their children are now aged between 16 and 23, and showbiz journalist Jeanne Wolf highlighted the emotional impact.

“This was a very emotional and complicated divorce settlement. It took a huge toll on the children and the couple involved,” she said.

“They tried very hard not to let too many details about that marriage come out.”

Jolie’s attorney emphasized the passage of time in a statement on Monday. “This is just part of a long-term ongoing process that began eight years ago,” he said.

“Frankly, Angelina was tired, but she was relieved that this part was over.”