Horse racing multi-millionaire’s Will invalid?

Two of his four children claim his final Will – which handed most of his fortune to the other siblings – is invalid as he, their father, had a ‘longstanding’ determination to share the family fortune equally between all four children.

Mr. Bond had given much of his £55 million fortune away before he died, but his final Will, made in November 2019, handed nearly all of his remaining £12.3 million to two of his sons, leaving their older brother and sister just £325,000 each. It is claimed that the Will was invalid because their father was too ill to understand what he was signing. This claim is disputed by their siblings who claim that their father was in control of his faculties when the Will was written.

There are many ways in which the validity of a Will can be challenged. These include whether the testator (the person who made the Will) had knowledge and approval of what they were doing; whether it was properly signed by the testator; and whether there was a lack of testamentary capacity. The courts understand that sometimes vulnerable people are pressurised or coerced into making a Will on terms which they are not happy with. It may be possible to challenge a Will for lack of due execution or by reason of fraud or forgery.