Approved tactics from the playbook of recently divorced one-percenters tend to include dissecting neckties and incinerating tailored suits. They might also stretch to briefing the press about your former partner’s insufferable bathroom habits, or as Kim Kardashian demonstrated this year, becoming the face of a rival brand (Balenciaga) that is in competition with your ex-husband’s business (Yeezy). But even the most cynically experienced divorce lawyer could never have anticipated the current state of affairs between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.
The dispute begins in the south of France, in the Linen Pantalons Triangle between St Tropez, Cannes and Aix-en-Provence. There, among the pines, is the Chateau Miraval, a country pile that looks like an advert from the glossy pages of Sotheby’s International Realty. It is a spread, near a village called Correns, which is perfect for wealthy buyers with a sophisticated taste in amenities. There is a helipad, a moat, a spa, two gyms, an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, 400 hectares of land — 30 of which are used to grow organic rosé –– and 35 bedrooms in case the owners are called upon to host the next G7 summit at short notice. The property claims to have origins as far back as the 3rd century BC, if you believe an online brochure advertising the place. Nevertheless, its status as a site of legend has certainly been boosted by its recording studio where Pink Floyd, Sting and The Cranberries have worked their magic. It is estimated to be worth £123 million
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