Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) Royal Wills and (b) other Wills have been sealed since 1911; and whether he has assessed the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to prohibit the sealing of Royal Wills.

On 24 November 2021 Annex 1 was published, listing wills which were held in the custody of the President at that time and with each date of probate. HMCTS does not hold data on other Wills sealed since 1911.

The Government has no plans to change the current practice regarding the treatment of Royal Wills. It is an important constitutional principle that the Sovereign’s Will remains sealed. For other Royal Wills, the Government is of the view the existing approach of generally sealing the Wills upon death but allowing them to be viewed in the future, is the right balance between protecting the privacy of the Royal Family and upholding constitutional principles against the need for historical transparency and open justice.