Who should you leave your estate to.

I'd always advise anyone to make a will, I have a friend who works in probate and she's often said how contentious the whole issue can be.
I don't have much at all and what I do have will go to my son in entirety, however, I've still made a will and kept it updated.

Worthingpatchworker,
What a lovely idea.
I have a friend of 97 years of age who is the Carer for her 85 year old sister who has schizophrenia .Neither has ever married.
They came from a large family and they are the only two survivors of that generation.
Over the years they have inherited money from spinster sisters.
They have several nephews but one in particular “looks after “ their money and decides where the money should be spent ( It should be spent on making the house more suitable for them to live in or even arrange for them to go into a Home but it isn’t )
I imagine he and his family will get the bulk of the money when they both die and I can’t interfere but my friend won’t hear a word against him.
It is so sad .
I would love them to be able to leave it to a good cause but since he has possibly drafted the Will there is no chance.

My father remarried and on his death his house passed to his new wife. She said she would leave it equally to my sister and myself, her daughter and two sons of a deceased child. When she died her own daughter inherited the house, whether by will or by default I know not. The daughter sold the house sharpish and moved on. All perfectly legal no doubt.

One of my old neighbours lived alone, rarely saw anyone. She left her house to her niece. Knew her for 25 years and I had never heard of her existence.

I agree with much that has already been said here! I needed to make a Will quite early in life, due to a failed Marriage, and the fact that I was made a "Ward of Court" as a Child. I didn't want my former husband claiming anything, I had never known my father, and wasn't keen on my mother - so this was legally required. Since then, I have been twice widowed, and struggled immensely with Wills, and Children from (spouse's) earlier Marriages. Still have an ongoing situation where I am obliged to keep/maintain a property (originally a marital home) from my late husband, and to leave it to his children when I die. One child has already passed away (drug user) - both hated me with a passion, despite their mother having died some twenty years before their father and I met!
DEFINITELY make a Will, make it clear and unambiguous. If you have a good friend or relative who would be willing to deal with your Estate (provided that it is not complex), buy them an easy to follow book which advises how to deal with Probate, and name them as Executor/Executrix. Far cheaper than a Solicitor. For complex matters, however - you DO need proper legal advice.

DH had an unexpected legacy from a very distant relative.It was all of £169, which even in 1988, didn't amount to much.

The relative was the daughter of DH's grandfather's youngest sister, There were 9 of them and he was the eldest. She must have been born in the 1880/90s and when she married, probably around the time of WW1, she moved 200 miles away. Nobody knew of her existence.

The estate was quite small, only about £15,000. How much went in will hunter's fees we do not know, but I am sure this lady's daughter probably had a close friend or kind neighbour whom she would like to have benfitted from her estate, or her church or a local charity.

It just shows, no matter how little you have to leave, make a will.

Lilyflower, I experienced similar. My father had remarried and one day I was asked to visit, it was explained to me what they wished on their deaths (my stepmother had no children but she had siblings and was only close and in contact with one.)
They gave me a letter and copies of wills.
My father passed away first and then five months before my stepmothers' death, she changed her will.
The estate was divided into 3....me and two nieces who she didn't like and had never been in contact with. Her sister was very upset as she'd moved in with my stepmother (selling all her furniture etc).
I didn't and don't understand what or why.....!!

If you are referring to your own "estate" and are fortunate enough to have anything of value to leave then you should leave it to whomsoever you bloomin well choose!
You earned it/saved it/were careful with it etc.

However, if you are in the UK don't assume that should you die any or everything you own passes to your nearest and dearest ... if you drop orf your mortal coil (which could be anytime - just referring to accidents etc) and do not have a legal Will the State could be the beneficiary; or at the very least whoop a great deal of it in taxes and debts etc,

If you have no will and no nearest and dearest, your estate doesn't go directly to the state. That only happens after they have spent a long time looking for relatives.

The rules governing the distribution of the estate of someone dying intestate (without a will) are quite clear about who inherits and in what order. My sister was in her mid-40s when she died intestate. She was unmarried and childless so her estate went entirely to her parents, who were still alive. They then made a Deed of Arrangement to divide the estate equally between them and their 2 surviving children. The state took no more from her estate than they would have done if she had left a will.

It is only when there are no blood relatives at all that can be found, that the estate goes to the Crown.

We updated our will when my son decided he didn’t want us in his life. That was 4 years ago.
We were advised to make an extra statement as to why he won’t inherit anything. The solicitor put it into legal gargon and added it to the will. Hopefully this will stop any problems for our other children.

Make a will.
Be sure to keep it up to date.