The late husband of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip's will be sealed and remain private for at least 90 years to preserve the monarch's dignity.
Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who had been married to the 95-year-old British monarch for more than seven decades, died at the age of 99.
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In a ruling published on Thursday, the London High Court ordered that the Duke of Edinburgh's will remain sealed for 90 years and may be opened only in private even after that date.
The judge said that 'there is a need to enhance the protection afforded to truly private aspects of the lives of this limited group of individuals in order to maintain the dignity of the sovereign and close members of her family.'
It has been convention for over a century that after the death of a senior member of the royal family, an application to seal their will is made. This means the wills of senior members of the royal family are not open to public inspection in the way a will would ordinarily be.
The first member of the royal family whose will was sealed was Prince Francis of Teck, who died in 1910. He was the younger brother of Queen Mary.
The physical process of unsealing must be conducted by a professional archivist to ensure that the document and its seals are properly preserved.