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Create a lasting legacy

By remembering the National Museum of the Royal Navy in your Will, you will be a vital part of our mission to protect and preserve the world’s most comprehensive collection of Royal Navy heritage.  You will help to tell the stories of the thousands of people who have served our nation, inspiring and educating future generations. Any gift, no matter the size, has a real and meaningful impact on our work, and is gratefully received.

How will my gift be used?

You can choose where your gift will go, deciding the impact of your legacy, in line with your interests, career, or family history. You could choose a specific museum, project, or area that you feel you would most like to support. 

For example, you could:

  • Help to preserve our historic fleet, protecting iconic ships including HMS Trincomalee and HMS Warrior, funding conservation and research
  • Grow our collections by helping us to acquire significant and important objects
  • Deliver incredible exhibitions, showcasing the history of our Royal Navy and telling the stories of the people who served our nation
  • Support a specific part of the museum by choosing the site you wish to receive your gift
  • Or, you could leave your legacy to the National Museum of the Royal Navy as a whole, and your gift will be used wherever the need is greatest. 

But most importantly, by leaving a gift of any size in your Will, you're creating a lasting legacy that will help to tell the epic story of the Royal Navy for generations to come. 

 

How to leave a legacy

We’ve partnered with expert will writers, Octopus Legacy, to make giving a gift in your will to the National Museum of the Royal Navy even easier.

  • Write your will online
  • Easy step-by-step process
  • Legal experts check over each will
  • On-hand support

If you’d like to speak with an Estate Planning Consultant, or live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you can give their friendly wills team a call:

  • Book to write your will over the phone/via video call when you call 020 4525 3605.
  • Book an in person meeting including home visits or in-branch when you call 020 4525 3605.

You are under no obligation to pledge a gift to The National Museum of the Royal Navy, nor tell us if you choose to do so. However, if you do choose to leave us a gift, we would love for you to let us know so we can thank you properly. You can do this by emailing us, or calling 02392 891370 ex 2177. 

If you have any questions, you can take a look at our FAQs, or email us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

FAQs

Yes, you can make an online will. Writing your will, like most things in the world, has gone digital. Octopus Legacy’s online system was created by a solicitor and legal team, and saves you time and money when making your will. Additionally, for peace of mind, your online will is checked by their expert legal team who are available when you need help.

You can write your will or online will without a solicitor, and it’s completely legal. Octopus Legacy’s online will was built by a solicitor and expert legal team. It just requires you to input your own details to be completed.

You'll still need to enter your card details to finalise the transaction, even though the will is free. There won't be any charge made to your card.

Octopus Legacy do offer a £10 a year subscription service that allows you to make unlimited changes to your will for free for the first year and only £10 per year after that.

You can cancel this service at any time.

They offer this because a will is a living document so most people update it every 5 years or every time they have a major life change. Traditionally this was really expensive - involving starting from scratch each time, or paying hefty fees for will amendments (codicils).

Their will subscription service allows you to easily amend your will at any point AND save money over time (even if you only update it every 8 years).

Most likely you will need to update your online will. It is a living document that will evolve as your life and situation changes. The advantage of the Octopus Legacy online will service is that you can update it any time. This is free for the first year and only £10 per year after that., which you can opt out of at any time. Just let them know what amends you’d like to make and they’ll send you the updated version to sign with two witnesses.

To cancel your subscription, you'll need to go to your will dashboard (https://octopuslegacy.com/will/dashboard) then on the right-hand side you'll see a little question mark next to 'Resubmit for checking'

If you hover over that question mark, there should be a prompt to "Manage my subscription" and there you'll find steps on how to cancel the subscription service.

You can print your online will at home. No printer, no worries. Octopus Legacy offers a print and post service for just £9.99 for exactly that reason. You’ll be given this option at the end of the process.

Octopus Legacy offers a bundle deal when writing your will, so you can also get your Lasting Power of Attorney sorted for only £80 (normally £120), if you don’t want an LPA you can simply remove this from checkout.

There are some cases where you may want to seek legal advice. If you need a trust, or have a larger estate then you may need a complex will. If you think this might be you, then you can speak to Octopus Legacy’s wills team on 020 4525 3605 and quote The National Museum of the Royal Navy. They can help you find the best option for getting your will sorted.

If you do need a complex will, the simple aspect of the will is still free, however you’ll receive a no-obligation quote for the additional work needed. Prices start from (discounted the simple will):

  • Single Complex Will (over the phone/in person): £299
  • Mirror/Joint Complex Will (over the phone/in person): £549

You can call Octopus Legacy’s wills team on 020 4525 3605 and quote National Museum of the Royal Navy, they will ask you a few questions about your needs and will book an appointment for you to speak with a solicitor/will writer. This can be done either:

  • Over the phone
  • Via video call
  • A home visit
  • Or in office (this will be dependant on location and not always available)

Yes, a simple will is still free in partnership with The National Museum of the Royal Navy when you use Octopus Legacy’s phone or face to face service. If however you have a complex estate, the will writer/solicitor will send you an non-obligated quote for the additional work and you can decide if you want to take it forward or not.

There are different options you can choose from:

  • In a secure custom-built will storage space, such as Octopus Legacy’s will storage facility
    • CCTV
    • Fireproof & waterproof security
    • Simply post your will to Octopus Legacy
    • Free of charge
  • With a solicitors firm
  • Or, at home in a secure place

We also recommend:

  • Registering your will with the National Wills Register
  • Telling your executors and family where your will is so it can be found easily.

We’ve partnered with Octopus Legacy to make it even easier to get your will sorted and for you to support the causes you care about. Giving a gift in your will can have a huge impact for charities like us, helping us to make a real difference. But writing your will can sometimes feel overwhelming and difficult so we wanted to make the process clear and simple for our supporters. We’ve therefore paid for the wills to be written at a reduced cost. While many people choose to include a gift in their will there is no obligation to do so if you wish to use this service.

DIY Will Kits can be found at your local Post Office or stationery shop. They offer a simple guide to writing a will from scratch and are technically legally binding when signed with a witness. However, DIY Will Kits won't work for everyone. You can learn more about Post Will Kits, their pros and cons, and the other options available here. This will help you work out what will work best for you.

Online will-writing services allow you to take the stress out of the process with easy-to-use tools and on-hand support. But their main benefit is that you can feel confident that your wishes will be followed - thanks to the fact each will is reviewed by a will expert to make sure it’s ship-shape before you sign it. This reduces the risk of your will being rendered invalid.

Ways to support us

Donate today

The Royal Navy's legend lives on through your support. Donate today and ensure their epic stories inspire generations. Every donation helps us to maintain and preserve the incredible story of the Royal Navy 

Capital Projects

Our mission takes many forms, from innovative storytelling, to incredible feats of preservation, or unearthing new and exciting discoveries that expand our understanding of naval and maritime history. Capital projects are where all these come together.

Corporate Partnerships

Become a business partner with the National Museum of the Royal Navy