It happens all the time in whodunit novels and movies. Someone
dies and when the family gather to hear the will read by the family
solicitor, they are shocked to discover there was a secret will
besides the one they had been told about.
This surprise secret will cuts out those who expected to inherit
the estate, or at least diminishes the size of their inheritance.
Instead, it leaves the fortune to someone they don't think
deserves it.
So, does a secret will beat other wills? What does a secret will
have to have to make it legal? Can those who missed out contest the
secret will?
Secrecy of a will has no bearing on its validity
The law says that as long as a will is drawn up legally with the
required witness signature and has the most recent date on it, it
doesn't matter whether it has been kept secret from the family
or not.
