Once a case has gone to probate, and a grant of probate issued, the will becomes a public document and is freely available. Typically, wills are often wanted for the following reasons :-
- to contest a will
- family research
- a beneficiary might be interested in knowing if they are a beneficiary
- inheritance tax reasons – if reliefs are being claimed then often the former spouses will might be required
- the executor might have simply refused to disclose a copy of the will
Probate records including a copy of a will can be obtained from the probate registry whilst there are lots of companies that specialise in obtaining wills online for the payment of a fixed fee.