Diana's Will

msleiman · #1 03-21-2006, 02:19 PM

Ok, maybe this has been answered but while reading other post I have a few questions. Why in the world was Diana's brother giving most of her things. Her wedding dress for one. She has two sons and it just seems crazy that anything should go the Earl. I think that he should not have recived anything. Will all of her things be returned to William and Harry?

Duchess · #2 03-24-2006, 08:47 PM

if i'm not mistaken, her mother and sisters were executors of her will and when she passed away, they removed a lot of her personal possessions from KP. she had expressed a wish that her wedding dress be given to the Victoria and Albert museum for the dress collection but the Earl took it for the display at Althrop inspite of what she wanted.

branchg · #3 03-28-2006, 06:01 PM

Actually, William allowed the Earl Spencer to take certain items for display at Althorp. All of Diana's possessions belong to him and Harry.

wymanda · #4 11-22-2006, 10:51 AM

For those who wish to wade through a mountain of legalese here is a link to Diana's will http://www.courttv.com/archive/legal...ana/part1.html

Roslyn · #5 11-22-2006, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wymanda

For those who wish to wade through a mountain of legalese here is a link to Diana's will http://www.courttv.com/archive/legal...ana/part1.html

Ooh! Thank you.

Glad I found this one before the mod squad. I must get up earlier than Warren.

Warren · #6 11-23-2006, 02:03 AM

Now it's in the correct thread we don't have to worry about who gets up or logs on first.

Sara Hamada · #7 11-23-2006, 03:12 PM

am with duchess because her mother and sisters were executors of her will.

Roslyn · #8 04-26-2007, 05:27 AM

Below is a link to Diana's will and codicil and orders made by the Chancery Division in December 1997 modifying the terms of the will. I have only just seen the orders for the first time and it has come as a bit of a surprise.

The original will was fairly straightforward. It provided for the executors to distribute chattels in accordance with separate written wishes, and for the residuary estate to be divided equally between William & Harry at 25. There was no provision for Burrell.

Then, after Diana died, there was an approach to the Court to vary the terms of the will, which I think is a bit odd but which was accepted by the Court as being for the benefit of the infant beneficiaries. I haven't digested the new provisions, but they introduce a gift of GBP 50,000 for Burrell and some interesting concepts including some relating to intellectual property rights which I assume relate to the way it was then proposed to administer the estate for the production of income. Anyway, the boys still seem to take their share at 25.

Will and codicil:
Court TV Online - FAMOUS WILLS

Orders varying the will:
Court TV Online - FAMOUS WILLS

HRH Queen Mary · #9 05-27-2007, 12:55 AM

I think it's weird that Prince William and Prince Harry are only allowed to choose one piece of jewelry from her mother.........

sassie · #10 05-27-2007, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HRH Queen Mary

I think it's weird that Prince William and Prince Harry are only allowed to choose one piece of jewelry from her mother.........

Where did you get that information? Except for the royal jewels and a few bequests, all of Diana's jewelry was left to her sons. They're not limited to "one piece" each.

HRH Kimetha · #11 05-27-2007, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sassie

Where did you get that information? Except for the royal jewels and a few bequests, all of Diana's jewelry was left to her sons. They're not limited to "one piece" each.

Wonder if there was or if there will be any bickering between the two of who gets what and who gets to choose first to give to their "wife" when it happens?

carlota · #12 05-27-2007, 06:04 PM

did diana write any testaments or last wills (where to be buried, how funerals should take place) just in case something happened or was it all decided by her family and the royal house after her accident?

Iluvbertie · #13 05-28-2007, 04:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carlota

did diana write any testaments or last wills (where to be buried, how funerals should take place) just in case something happened or was it all decided by her family and the royal house after her accident?

Her will clearly states her wish to be buried.

It is the first clause IIRC.

As for the details they were worked out I believe during the week after her death but she had expressed, verbally at least, I believe, that she wished to be buried with her father. That was not seen as feasible due to the size of the church and the size of the village in which the church is located, so the compromise was thought up of her being buried all alone on that island.

HRH Kimetha · #14 05-28-2007, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrissy57

Her will clearly states her wish to be buried.

It is the first clause IIRC.

As for the details they were worked out I believe during the week after her death but she had expressed, verbally at least, I believe, that she wished to be buried with her father. That was not seen as feasible due to the size of the church and the size of the village in which the church is located, so the compromise was thought up of her being buried all alone on that island.

In a sense, it's dreadful to think that Diana is out on the island all by herself isolated from the people who loved her the most. She also loved many people and would be quite taken back to know that she and they weren't able to visit on a daily basis in life/death (that is according to Christian belief of visiting from the grave etc.).

A last note regarding the island, I can imagine the lost of the casket and condition of the body after ten years buried in the ground on a island where the casket would be penetrable by water (unless she is buried above ground).

In addition, it put the sons in an awkward situation between Spencers & Windsors should they have desired to visit their mother's grave more often than they have been able to because of the distance between Althorp & London (I don't know the distance).

sassie · #15 05-28-2007, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HRH Kimetha

A last note regarding the island, I can imagine the lost of the casket and condition of the body after ten years buried in the ground on a island where the casket would be penetrable by water (unless she is buried above ground).

The "lake" is a man made, concrete-lined ring dug around the circumference of the solid piece of land which forms the "island". There is no real difference between where Diana is buried and a traditional plot in a cemetery, and her plot is exposed to no more moisture than as if she was buried next to an in-ground swimming pool.

HRH Kimetha · #16 05-28-2007, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sassie

The "lake" is a man made, concrete-lined ring dug around the circumference of the solid piece of land which forms the "island". There is no real difference between where Diana is buried and a traditional plot in a cemetery, and her plot is exposed to no more moisture than as if she was buried next to an in-ground swimming pool.

Thanks for letting me know that. I thought it was just a natural forming lake. So, they built this lake by laying down concrete? I've seen something like this in Garmish-Partikirchen, but this was huge and I remember seeing concrete as the bottom.

sassie · #17 05-28-2007, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HRH Kimetha

Thanks for letting me know that. I thought it was just a natural forming lake. So, they built this lake by laying down concrete? I've seen something like this in Garmish-Partikirchen, but this was huge and I remember seeing concrete as the bottom.

Yes, they dug the ring and lined it with concrete before filling it with water. The ring is fairly wide, so it has the appearance of an oval lake, but it actually isn't.

sirhon11234 · #18 05-28-2007, 08:51 PM

It must be very expensive to have a lake man made.

sassie · #19 05-28-2007, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirhon11234

It must be very expensive to have a lake man made.

Well, as Earl Spencer has said that he and Diana enjoyed The Oval as children, then it has been on the Spencer estate for 40 years, at least, and I would imagine the estate/grounds workers probably contributed to the labor involved in creating it, so it likely wasn't all that expensive.

I'll bet it wasn't as expensive as that similar concrete oval in Kensington Gardens that resembles a drainage ditch more than a fountain.

Roslyn · #20 01-02-2008, 01:47 AM

The gifts to God-children were not expressly stated in the will, but in papers that were referred to in but did not form part of the will; they were not the subject of the codicil, which did nothing but remove Patrick Jephson as executor/trustee and replace him with sister Sarah. What Frances & Sarah did was do a complete overhaul of the original will, with the sanction of the High Court of Justice, and ostensibly for the benefit of William & Harry. Diana's sons were originally to take their shares at age 25, but the document sanctioned by the Court on 19.12.97 - I hestitate to call it a will because it bore little resemblance to Diana's document - created a fairly complex trust structure. I suspect, but cannot be sure, that there are probably substantial tax benefits to the new structure.