Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's daughter Shiloh has filed to remove her father's name

Angelina Jolie and daughter Shiloh in London, in 2021 — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's divorce is still ongoing, with a settlement agreement between the former couple yet to be reached.

Jolie filed for divorce in September 2016, following an alleged altercation on an aeroplane during a flight from France to Los Angeles, where Jolie alleges that Pitt physically assaulted her and two of their children. Pitt has denied the allegations.

The former couple has since been in legal disagreements, namely involving Chateau Miraval, the winery that they co-owned, and the custody of their six children - Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18, and twins Knox and Vivienne, both 15.

Angelina Jolie is spotted walking with her children in Paris

This week, the couple's divorce returned to headlines, as their daughter Shiloh filed to legally change her name, submitting a petition to the Los Angeles County Superior Court to drop "Pitt" from her surname.

The actress, named "Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt", is reported to have taken the legal action on the date of her eighteenth birthday (27 May 2024), applying to shorten her surname to her mother's maiden name "Jolie".

Shiloh is the first of the Jolie-Pitt children to file to legally change her name, but on closer inspection some of her siblings have dropped the "Pitt" from their surnames in a more informal way.

Just weeks ago, 15-year-old Vivienne chose to drop "Pitt" from her surname when listed in a Playbill programme for the new musical that she helped produce, The Outsiders. And back in 2023, Zahara can be heard in a Spelman College video introducing herself as "Zahara Marley Jolie", omitting her father's surname.

The formal petition by Shiloh to change her name comes after an alleged lack of connection between 60-year-old Pitt and his children, with many of the Jolie-Pitt children reportedly distancing themselves from their father.

"[It has been] a sad situation for years", an insider explained to PEOPLE back in August 2022. "Many times, there have been long gaps where [Pitt] didn't see the kids at all."

We will continue to update this story.

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. After working at Marie Claire UK for seven years - rising from intern to Features Editor - she is now a freelance contributor to the News and Features section.

In 2021, Jenny was named as a winner on the PPA's '30 under 30' list, and was also listed as a rising star in journalism.