The most peculiar Will requests

Kings Court Trust firmly believes in the benefits of having a professional help draft a Will to ensure that everybody’s final wishes are made clear and carried out accurately. Drafting a Will and carefully considering what is to happen to our finances is not the most cheery of topics, but one that should be taken very seriously.

However, for some, drafting a Will can be their final opportunity to cause mischief or bring a smile to the faces of their loved ones, even after they have passed away. In a recent article, The Guardian shared some of their strangest and funniest Will requests and we thought that we would share some of our favourites with you:

A weekend trip for friends
In 2013, a man from Swansea set aside £3,500 for his seven best friends to spend on a weekend trip away to a European city of their choice. However, they were only granted access to the money on the condition that they spent it on a “boozy weekend away” – needless to say that they took up the challenge and visited Berlin in honour of their friend. 

A second-hand, second-best bed
English poet, playwright and actor, William Shakespeare was renowned for his literary greatness, and his Will was no exception. In it, he dictated that his daughter receive the vast majority of his estate, leaving his wife to receive his “second-best bed”. In today's climate it is believed that the spurned wife, Anne Hathaway, could contest the Will on the proviso that Shakespeare had failed to make 'reasonable financial provision' for her 

A flower every day
US comedian Jack Benny, who died in 1974, stipulated in his Will that his widow, Mary Livingstone, receive a red rose every day for the rest of her life; the local florist has had one delivered to her home every day since his passing. 

A century-old feud
A millionaire from the US used his Will to keep his wealth out of the reach of his family for nearly 100 years.  He stated that his fortune should be passed on 21 years after the death to his last surviving grandchild. When she died in 1989, 70 years after his death, 12 people discovered they had a fortune of $110 million to share.

Have you come across any other peculiar Will requests?