Carley’s Corner - Princess Diana’s “Letter of Wishes”
Diana, Princess of Wales, was and still is one of the most admired members of the British Royal Family. Diana was renowned for her style and worked closely with the fashion industry paving the way for many young designers, although she was best known for her charitable work. It is said that during her lifetime, Diana was either president or patron to over 100 charities such as The English National Ballet, The National Aids Trust, and The Leprosy Mission. It is without doubt that she had a passion for giving back and helping others.
On August 31, 1997, Princess Diana’s tragic death shocked the globe when she was killed in a car accident in Paris. I am sure you can remember where you were on this day and what you were doing when you found out that the Princess had passed away at the early age of 36. I know I can. Her funeral was held on September 6th, 1997, at Westminster Abbey, and was viewed by a whopping 2.5 billion people worldwide, making it one of the most viewed television events still to this day.
When Diana passed away, she did, in fact, have a Will. Her estate was estimated to be valued at over 30 million dollars. The beneficiaries were her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, her beloved butler Paul Burrell, and her 17 Godchildren. Diana had included a handwritten “Letter of Wishes” in her Will that requested all her jewelry and three-quarters of her personal belongings be passed onto her two sons, William and Harry, and that the remaining one fourth of her personal belongings to be given to her 17 Godchildren. After her passing, the Executors of her estate, her mother and sister, challenged the note in court as it did not have two witnesses and deemed it invalid as it was not prepared by a Lawyer. The court approved this motion.
Princess Diana’s intention was that each of her 17 Godchildren would inherit around $160,000 dollars each from her estate, however since her “Letter of Wishes” was deemed invalid by the court, they did not. Instead, they were each gifted a single trinket of hers which as you can imagine enraged the family members and caused great upset.
Had Princess Diana included these wishes in her Will and not in an attached note, all of this could have been avoided. Often, a generic Will is not enough protection and there needs to be clauses and provisions set clearly in place to protect your assets and legacy. Princess Diana should have met with her Lawyer and revised her Will and documents to include these wishes in clear terms that would not be contested in court.
Moral of the story – put everything in your Will and have it legally reviewed to ensure that your estate is protected when the time comes. The last thing anybody wants is for their legacy to become a messy family dispute!
At ETP Canada, we ease life after death for Canadian families. If you find yourself needing support or guidance when it comes to an estate’s administration, contact us today to book a free consultation.
This blog is not intended to be legal advice and should not be relied on as such. If you require legal advice, please contact a legal professional concerning your particular circumstances.