[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The will of the late Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, will remain "sealed" and not be made public for at least 90 years.
According to the BBC on the 16th (local time), the UK High Court announced that this decision was made to protect the dignity of the Queen and the royal family.
The British royal family has requested the sealing of wills in court whenever a senior member has passed away over the past 100 years. Typically, wills are notarized for execution and are made public during this process, but this follows a different procedure.
The hearing for sealing Prince Philip's will was also held privately in July under the supervision of Sir Andrew McFarlane, the Senior Presiding Judge of the court, to maintain confidentiality. The hearing was attended by legal representatives handling Prince Philip's estate and the Attorney General.
Sir Andrew stated in the ruling, "I have neither seen Prince Philip's will nor heard its contents," adding, "It is necessary to keep the will undisclosed to protect the dignity of the royal family."
He further explained, "The decisions contained in the will are extremely personal and there is no practical benefit for the general public to know."
The sealing of wills in the British royal family reportedly began after the death of Prince Francis, the younger brother of Queen Mary, in 1910.
Prince Francis is said to have left a valuable emerald jewel, given to him by the Queen, to his mistress.
Recently, there was an application to unseal Prince Francis's will, which Sir Andrew currently holds, but it was reportedly dismissed.
However, Sir Andrew revised the previous decision that royal wills should be sealed indefinitely, allowing the contents to be reviewed once 90 years have passed and the will's probate decision is made.
The royal family's legal counsel argued that the sealing period should be 125 years, but Sir Andrew did not accept this, stating that 90 years is sufficient to reduce the possibility of privacy infringement.
The BBC reported that if a probate decision is made, the will will be made public at that time.
Once the unsealing decision is made, records management experts will verify proper preservation, and the court will decide on the specific procedures thereafter.
Meanwhile, unlike other royals, Princess Diana's will was made public after her death in 1997. She arranged for most of her estate to be held in trust until her sons reached the age of 25.
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