Any lawyers out there?

Thanks everyone - I'll pass info on to DD & SIL. All they know is that she made a legal will before she died and said she had taken care of her children in it. You would think he'd discuss it if he had nothing to hide!

It costs £10 to get a copy of a will online - if probate has been applied for and granted. Otherwise talk to a solicitor, as recommended above or the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB).

gillybob, the daughter wouldn't have been given everything automatically.

In the absence of a will the estate would have been divided between all the children. If there was a will leaving everything to the daughter, then fair enough.

I don't want to get into too many personal details here on an open forum Lindill49but all I can say is that if it looks suspicious then it probably is. When DH's parents died (fairly close together) the daughter whom we were lead to believe had never spoke to either of her parents for over 20 years somehow walked away with everything (we later heard that she shared with the younger brother in return for him keeping his mouth shut). My DH is the most placid of people and just wanted to let it lie.

Depends whether or when she made a will - do get legal advice and don't take my word for it!

You can have a free half-hour appointment with a solicitor who specialises in probate matters, and it would be worth it just to put your mind at rest.

Thanks Ana. Seems highly unfair. Longest living takes all I presume even against mum's written wishes?

A copy of the will can be obtained by applying to the relevant Probate registry. You could do it online but would have to pay, not sure how much.

As your SIL's mum's legal husband he'd be automatically entitled to whatever was jointly owned and more, up to a certain amount, even if your SIL hadn't made a will.