Why are the British royal family’s wills kept secret? Prince Philip’s is locked in a strongbox – along with the queen mother’s, Princess Margaret’s and 30 more sealed final testaments
- The British High Court just revealed a list of senior royals whose wills are safeguarded by Judge Andrew McFarlane, including Queen Elizabeth’s late husband
- Princess Diana’s will is viewable on CNN and British law stipulates that most wills are made public, but the royal family’s are sealed for additional privacy
Prince Philip’s will is locked away in the same box as the final wishes of over 30 dead senior royals, whose names – including former King Edward VIII – have been published in a new document from the British High Court.
“I am now custodian of a safe in which there are over 30 envelopes, each of which purports to contain the sealed will of a deceased member of the royal family,” McFarlane said in the original hearing for the judgment to seal Philip’s will on September 16.
In the document released Wednesday, November 24, the court identified the full list of royals whose wills make up the contents of the box. The oldest is that of Prince Francis of Teck, the brother-in-law of King George V and grandfather of Queen Elizabeth, according to a 2007 report from The Guardian.
The sealing of the Duke of Edinburgh’s will has become a controversial subject, leading to a legal challenge from British newspaper The Guardian, the publication reported on November 18.
