They’ve been through endless court cases, numerous public disputes, countless custody battles, but – seven years on – Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are still no closer to calling a truce. And as they prepare to return to court after yet more accusations of “vindictive” behaviour on both sides, insiders say the Oscar-winning actor is furious with his ex-wife once again. It follows Ange’s decision to whisk Shiloh off for a birthday trip to Jamaica, with Brad left behind, telling friends he feels like he’s having to watch his daughter grow up “from the sidelines.”

“Brad would’ve loved to celebrate Shiloh’s birthday with her, but he was left out yet again,” says an insider close to the 59-year-old film star, who shares six children with Angelina: Maddox, 21, Pax, 19, Zahara, 18, Shiloh, 17, as well as 14-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne. “Of course he requested to see Shiloh for her special day.]. It feels like he’s basically just watching his children’s lives from the sidelines and all he can do is occasionally call his lawyers to ask what can be done. He’s convinced Angelina deliberately took Shiloh out of town on her birthday just to spite him, but of course he can’t prove that.”

Last week, the 48-year-old Maleficent star was spotted enjoying herself at the Calabash Literary Festival in Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth. Angelina was seen taking photos with Jamaican dub-poet Mutabaruka and chatting to locals. “She and Shiloh had a wonderful time in Jamaica!” says the source. “Zahara came along, too, and it was a bonding experience for all three of them. Ange got to mingle with her contacts over there and show up at a couple of local functions, while the sisters did their own thing a lot of the time and saw the sights.” And insiders say Angelina has no regrets about the trip. We’re told, “For Brad to be whining and moping about being left out is just pathetic, as far as Angie’s concerned. She says he’s complaining about absolutely nothing. She doesn’t feel any need to explain or justify herself to Brad when it comes to arrangements for the kids. She has no interest in his tiresome old gripes about being pushed out. It doesn’t generate a shred of sympathy from her and she says if there are any problems or complaints he wants to make, he knows where her lawyers are.”

As Closer’s reported many times over the years, the couple – fondly referred to as Brange after first getting together in 2005 – have been locked in furious court battles since their split seven years ago. The pair had only been married two years in September 2016 when Ange announced a shock divorce after an incident on the family’s private jet. The FBI later confirmed they were investigating Brad for alleged child abuse with Ange claiming in court papers that he’d “choked one of the children and struck another in the face”. She revealed he then “poured beer” on her and “poured beer and red wine on the children.” Brad’s team hit back, saying her descriptions of events were “completely untrue,” adding that, “Her story is constantly evolving.” Last year, Brad sued Ange for deliberately trying to “inflict harm” on him by selling off part of their wine business.

Last week he filed new papers accusing Ange of being “vindictive” in selling off her stake of Château Miraval, following an “adverse custody ruling.” The documents continued, “Her decision to terminate negotiations with Pitt was intentional and pretextual. As will be demonstrated at trial, Jolie’s actions were unlawful, severely and intentionally damaging Pitt and unjustly enriching herself.” Ange’s lawyer, Paul Murphy fired back, saying, “Still today and in the seven years since that fateful plane ride, he personally has never publicly denied that it happened. The reality is that Pitt refused to complete the Miraval sale with Jolie unless she agreed to being silenced about the abuse.”

It comes only two months after Shiloh was again at the centre of an apparent tug-of-war between her parents, after revealing she was hoping to follow in their showbiz footsteps. As Closer told you, the teen star has been attending dance classes for many years and is already a sensation on TikTok, where she regularly shares dance videos. She went viral last year with a clip of herself dancing to Vegas by Doja Cat and also attracted headlines in January for hanging out with actor Paul Mescal, after watching him perform in A Streetcar named Desire. Insiders confirmed Ange “wanted to meet Paul after she and Shiloh enjoyed watching his play,” adding that Shiloh has taken “a big interest in arts and culture”. The source went on, “Angie’s very encouraging of that. She wants all the kids to explore their creative sides and hear from talented actors and actresses directly what it’s like to work in the biz, how they got their start and so on and so forth.”

But it, once again, left the Fight Club star, feeling pushed out of the picture. “The last thing Brad wants to do is make Shiloh feel bad about any of this,” says the insider. “So he’s trying to bite his tongue and go along with whatever Angelina wants for now. The sad thing is that, at this point, it’s what he’s come to expect – he’s been here so many times. At least he got to speak to Shiloh on her birthday, and they’ve made arrangements to meet up and exchange gifts once she’s back in LA. It’s all he can do now, and he’ll make a point to spoil her rotten when he gets the chance to see her face to face. She’ll be 18 next year and he’s hoping that things will change when she’s officially an adult and can make her own choices. It’s just sad that, once again, him and Angelina are back in this miserable position, which seems like it’s going to last the rest of their lives.”