Issues of succession.
The obituaries of the late Lord Braybrooke reported that the title was inherited by the 10th Baron’s third cousin twice removed, Richard Ralph Neville, rather than the eldest of Lord Braybrooke’s eight daughters.
The estate passes to Louise Newman under the terms of the 7th Baron’s will made before he died in 1941; she is the 7th Baron’s granddaughter.
Countess Mountbatten of Burma also died recently. Her obituary reported that because Lord Louis Mountbatten had no male heirs, a special remainder had been granted by King George VI in 1946 to allow the title to pass through the female line for one generation. Accordingly, Norton Knatchbull is now the third Earl Mountbatten of Burma.
These reports have reminded us to remind you that, titled or not, you need to ensure that your assets will pass to those whom you wish to benefit and this will not necessarily be the case unless you leave a valid will.
Although changes were made to the intestacy rules in 2014, it is not necessarily the case that a surviving spouse or civil partner will automatically inherit everything and a cohabiting partner would not necessarily receive anything.
The rules about the Royal Succession were recently changed such that had Charlotte been born before George, she would be the monarch in preference to him (not that any of them want to be, according to Prince Harry).
For more details on matters of succession or a discussion of the relative merits of Poldark v Downton, please get in touch with your usual contact partner or use our enquiry form.