Royal Wills

Family DivisionPresident of the Family DivisionNews

On 16 September 2021 the President of the Family Division handed down judgment in Re: The Will of His late Royal Highness the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh [2021] EWHC 77 (Fam).

On 24 November 2021 Annex 1 to the judgment was published, listing wills which were currently held in the custody of the President.

On 16 February 2023 the President of the Family Division’s Office published ‘The Procedure for Unsealing 90-year-old Royal Wills’.

Pursuant to the Procedural Note, the following nine original wills, envelopes and seals have been surrendered to the Royal Archives for safe keeping and academic research and copies have been provided to the Probate Registry:

  1. Prince Francis Joseph Leopold Frederick of Teck
  2. Alexander William George, Duke of Fife
  3. Prince Morris Victor Donald of Battenberg
  4. Dowager Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
  5. Lord Leopold Louis Mountbatten
  6. Helen Frederica Augusta, Duchess of Albany
  7. Princess Helena Augusta Victoria, Princess Christian
  8. Princess Frederica Sophia Maria Henrietta Amelia Theresa of Great Britain
  9. Princess Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar, Princess Royal

These wills are now available to access online.

For any further enquiries please contact: probatefeedback@justice.gov.uk