Prince Philip sadly passed away on 9 April 2021, and under a longstanding convention the late royal's will is going to remain private.
MORE: Why the Queen and Prince Philip weren't alone on honeymoon
It is custom that following the death of a senior royal an application is filed to seal their will. This means that their wills are not open to the public like others are.
WATCH: Princess Anne pays emotional tribute to father Prince Philip
This was confirmed in a ruling published by Sir Andrew McFarlane, the President of the Family Division of the High Court, on Thursday.
It ordered that the Duke of Edinburgh's will be sealed for 90 years from the grant of probate – the formal process which confirms the authority of an executor to administer a deceased person's estate – and that it may only be opened after that date in private.
MORE: Princess Anne to make history by following in Prince Philip's footsteps - report
DISCOVER: Royal great-grandchildren who share a sweet connection with the Queen and Prince Philip
In his ruling, Sir Andrew said that the move would "maintain the dignity of the Sovereign and close members of her family".
He added that the ruling was to make as much detail as possible public without "compromising the conventional privacy afforded to communications from the Sovereign".
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Duke's will has been sealed for 90 years
A private hearing for the case was heard in July with lawyer from Philip's estate and the Attorney General's office present.
MORE: Prince Philip's children and grandchildren pay heartfelt tribute in new programme
MORE: Alan Titchmarsh reveals hilarious letter he once received from Prince Philip
The application was held in private as a public hearing was deemed to have been very likely to "generate very significant publicity and conjecture".
However, in the interest of public interest, Sir Andrew revealed that he hadn't seen or been told the content of the Duke's will, and only knew when it would be executed and by whom.
© Photo: Getty ImagesIt's a longstanding tradition that senior royals have their wills locked away
Earlier this month, it was announced that the late royal would be honoured by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution with a new lifeboat named after him.
The 'Duke of Edinburgh' boat will go into service at Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk sometime in late 2022.
Movingly, the boat will be in use just a short distance from the Queen's private estate, Sandringham, where the Prince spent most of his time after he retired from public life.
Make sure you never miss a ROYAL story! Sign up to our newsletter to get all of our celebrity, royal and lifestyle news delivered directly to your inbox.
