Queen ‘forced’ to reveal will secrets
THE Queen may be stripped of her historic right to keep the wills of senior Royals secret.
Top judge Sir Mark Potter is to launch a review of the practice following complaints it may be “unlawful and unconstitutional”. [>
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Lord Justice Potter, President of the Family Division, will set up a committee later this year. [>
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The move, confirmed by Justice Secretary Jack Straw last month, means that the wills of senior Royals, including Prince Charles and the Queen, could be made public after their deaths. [>
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Buckingham Palace sources say the practice of “sealing” the wills dates back to the 19th century, when it was established in case law. [>
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The wills of junior Royals are freely open to public scrutiny. The Queen ordered Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother’s wills to be sealed. [>
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As a result the size of their estates was never made public, there was no information about who they had left money to and it was impossible to tell how much, if any, inheritance tax they had paid. [>
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The Queen Mother is thought to have left £70million. Lib Dem MP Norman Baker said: “It is a matter of equity and transparency that people are able to see wills and it is quite wrong that the Royal Family is treated differently. [>
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“They pass on gigantic sums of money without paying death duties. If we had the wills made public there might be fresh questions about whether they need quite so much money from the Civil List.” [>
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The decision to review the practice stems from a court case brought last year by a man claiming to be the illegitimate son of Princess Margaret. [>
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Robert Brown, a 53-year-old accountant from Jersey, claims he may be 12th in line to the throne but was unable to press his claim because Princess Margaret’s will had been sealed on the orders of the Queen when she was ill in 2002. [>
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During the case it emerged the princess left an estate valued at £8million. [>
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A final decision will be made jointly by Lord Justice Potter and Mr Straw. [>
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A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “Any review of the current procedures would be a matter for the President of the Family Division and Lord Chancellor.” [>
