The late Duke of Westminster saved his family billions of pounds by using a trust that allows wealth to pass through the generations without attracting a large inheritance tax liability. The Duke died in August leaving an estate valued at £9bn. It’s thought nearly all of that wealth will pass to his son Hugh without
A 91-year-old man has been granted the right to buy the home he shared with his partner because her will had not made reasonable provision for him. The court heard that the man had lived in the home with his partner for 20 years. She had made a will leaving all her estate to her
A landed family have amended a trust to ensure that if any of their descendants are gay, their partners will have the same rights as heterosexual spouses. The Pembertons have lived at Trumpington Hall in Cambridgeshire for three centuries. The hall has often been used for as a location for films and TV programmes such
A father had understood what he was doing when he left his daughters out of his will and made specific provisions for the division of his estate. That was the decision of the Court of Appeal in the case of two daughters who believed their father had been subjected to undue influence shortly before his
A divorced husband has been given permission by the Court of Appeal to challenge the will of his former mother-in-law. The issue arose out of the divorce settlement between Colin Randall and his former wife Hilary. Mrs Randall had agreed that if she inherited anything from her mother, she would keep the first £100,000 and
People are being urged to safeguard their future as the population ages by taking out a lasting power of attorney (LPA). The Law Society says that with people living longer, it’s vitally important that we plan ahead because there may come a time when we can no longer make vital decisions about our finances and
The Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK are each donating £50m to the new Dementia Research Institute (DRI). The investment is in addition to the £150m already pledged by the government. The DRI is expected to be up and running by 2020. It will have a central UK hub with a network of regional centres
A 91-year-old woman’s will leaving all her estate to her grandson has been declared invalid because she suffered from dementia and was unaware of the consequences of her actions. The case involved a woman who had six grandchildren who all stood to inherit when she died. Three months before her death, her grandson helped her
An employee has lost her claim for compensation for injury to feelings under the Working Time Regulations 1998. The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) held that such compensation was confined to incidents of discrimination. The case involved a woman who brought a claim against her employer for failure to allow her rest breaks as required by
The family of the pop star Prince fear there could be a costly dispute over his multi-million pound fortune because he died without having made a will. Prince’s sister, Tyka Nelson, has asked a court in the United States to appoint a special administrator to manage his estate because he left no will or instructions