Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, how many estates of people that die without (a) known entitled relatives and (b) leaving a will in the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall were referred to the law firm Farrer and Co. Solicitors in each year since 2012.

The Treasury Solicitor is appointed by Royal Warrant to administer the estates of persons domiciled in England & Wales who die without leaving a will or entitled relatives (known as ‘bona vacantia’) but this explicitly excludes the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster.

The bona vacantia estates of persons domiciled in Cornwall and Lancaster are administered by Farrer & Co Solicitors on behalf of the Dukes of Cornwall and Lancaster and are referred directly to them.

The Treasury Solicitor does not hold any information about the numbers of estates which are referred to Farrer & Co.