Wills Act is second-best, say experts

Lawyers have called for the UK’s Victorian-era laws to be modernised
William Shakespeare left his wife a bed in his will. There is concern that people are unable to comply with the legislation
William Shakespeare left his wife a bed in his will. There is concern that people are unable to comply with the legislation
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William Shakespeare famously left his second-best bed to his wife, Anne Hathaway, and the fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld bequeathed part of his £150 million fortune to his cat, Choupette. However, British adults are historically not good at ensuring they have the last word over what happens to their worldly goods when they die — less than half the adult population have drafted wills.

The coronavirus crisis has prompted a huge spike in people seeking to put their affairs in order and some lawyers have reported a 70 per cent rise in the number of clients looking for help to write or update wills.

However, the legal rules, which date back nearly 200 years, for making a valid will have been difficult to comply with during