Posted: 3rd July 2018
Lots of us enjoyed watching the ‘Wedding of the Year’, but now the honeymoon is over I wonder whether Harry and Meghan have made new Wills? When you marry any previous Will you’ve made becomes invalid and the ‘intestacy rules’ kick in. In Harry and Meghan’s case this means that without a Will everything would pass to the other. If they have children then the first £250k would pass to the other and anything over that would be split equally between the survivor and their children at 18, almost certainly not a good idea in their case as Harry is reportedly worth around £30m.
What about the Pre-Nup?
Sometimes couples go to the trouble of drawing up a pre-nup but then don’t bother to make new Wills. The pre-nup works if there’s a divorce or separation but not if one party dies while still married. It is possible to make a Will before the wedding that will be effective afterwards if it is stated to be made ‘in contemplation of marriage to X’.
I’m always happy to offer a free Will review and initial discussion to anyone who needs advice in this area. Please contact me joanna@fouroakslegalservices.com
