The reason why Prince Philip's will is to remain sealed for 90 years

For the sake of respecting a tradition that has been upheld for over a century, the late Prince Philip's will is to remain secret for 90 years to 'protect the dignity and standing' of the Queen.

'Maintain the dignity of the Sovereign'

This means that the public will not have access to the Duke of Edinburgh's written testament and will only be revealed in 90 years time after a formal private process is conducted. Sir Andrew McFarlane, the most senior judge in the family courts, made the decision to keep this information private as he said:

Because of the constitutional position of the Sovereign, it is appropriate to have a special practice in relation to royal wills.

And added:

There is a need to enhance the protection afforded to truly private aspects of the lives of this limited group of individuals in order to maintain the dignity of the Sovereign and close members of her family.

None of the public's concern

Sir Andrew McFarlane explained being the custodian of a safe that contains more than 30 envelopes with wills belonging to deceased members of the Royal Family. He remains firm in his belief that such matters are in the best interest of the Royals to remain private and that the public should not interfere. He said:

I accepted the submission that, whilst there may be public curiosity as to the private arrangements that a member of the Royal Family may choose to make in their will, there is no true public interest in the public knowing this wholly private information.