The Queen sadly passed away on 8 September, with King Charles III immediately succeeding her. The late monarch will no doubt have left a will, but when will its contents become public?
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It is unlikely that the Queen's final will and testament will ever become public knowledge, with wills of members of the royal family being sealed. The tradition dates back to 1822, with a high court judge ruling that King George III's will did not need a grant of probate, which gives the legal authority to an executer to carry out a will.
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In 1910, this courtesy was extended to other senior members of the royal family, with Prince Francis of Teck, a brother of the Queen Mother, having his will sealed.
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This precedent has been challenged in the courts, with two people claiming to be children of Princess Margaret attempting to unseal her will, although both were rejected.
The only time a successful challenge was mounted was in 2017 when the Librarian and Assistant Keeper of the Queen’s Archives requested the unsealing of King Edward VIII's will in order to learn the correct ownership of certain literary works.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Queen was laid to rest on Monday
A judge accepted the application, but itemised a transition process of the documents to the librarian and emphasised that only the librarian may view the content, before sealing the will again.
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A challenge was launched to unseal the will of Prince Philip, and although it was unsuccessful it did break precedent as the judge imposed a 90-year time-limit on keeping the will sealed, instead of the usual indefinite period.
When that 90 years lapses, however, it will only be unsealed for specific individuals who will then invite the court as to whether to seal it once again.
© Photo: Getty ImagesA legal challenge to unseal Prince Philip's will failed
Although we will never learn what the Queen wrote in her will, we do know one aspect as she left her beloved corgis, Sandy and Muick, to her son Prince Andrew and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
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Andrew originally got two puppies for his late mother, Muick and Fergus, when Prince Philip had been hospitalised last year.
When Fergus sadly passed in May 2021, the late monarch was reportedly left 'devastated'. On what would have been Prince Philip's 100th birthday, Prince Andrew is said to have bought his mother another puppy named Sandy to replace Fergus.
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