Legacy MattersA longstanding convention has kept royal wills secret, but Queen Elizabeth codified that convention into law when she had the wills of Princess Margaret and her mother sealed in secret.
Only the appearance of Robert Brown who claims to be the illegitimate son of Princess Margaret and her one time lover Group Captain Peter Townsend brought the secret law to light.
Queen 'had her mother's will sealed in secret'
The 52-year-old accountant from Jersey was challenging the claim that "the privacy interests of the Royal family outweigh any public interest in unsealing royal wills," he said.
Mr Hinks said the executors of the royal wills were opposing the application because Mr Brown had no right to see them. "It is a fraudulent claim. It is a scandalous claim that he is the son of the sister of the sovereign without any factual basis," he said.