92-year-old UK man changed his will; wife could only access half through stepdaughter

Image Credit: Picpedia.org The England & Wales High Court has ruled on the will of Mark Briant, a 92-year-old man who changed his will while living with his daughter and son-in-law in 2022. The change reduced his wife Rosemary’s inheritance to a life interest in half of his estate, leaving her without an automatic right to the capital itself. A later challenge argued that Briant had not understood the effect of the change. In a judgment dated 23 September 2026, the High Court found that he had not known and approved the relevant part of the will and removed the restriction on his wife’s inheritance.How did the 92-year-old father’s will change while living with his daughterMark Briant and Rosemary had been together for many years before marrying in 2011. Both had been married before and each had three children. They had made wills in 2012, but their circumstances changed considerably over the following decade.According to the High Court judgment in Elliott v Bateson & Anor, Briant had Parkinson’s disease and his physical health had deteriorated from 2017 onwards. Rosemary was diagnosed with dementia in May 2022. In early 2022, Briant suffered several falls and was unable to ...