For admission to probate, it is sufficient that a document be capable of having testamentary effect, provided the deceased's subjective intention that it operate as a will is established; the document need not actually have testamentary operation, which is a separate question of construction. However, where the wording of the document strongly suggests it operates during the testator's lifetime, extrinsic evidence must be correspondingly strong to establish testamentary intention. The exclusion of natural objects of bounty without rational ground is a relevant factor in determining whether the proponent has discharged the onus of proving testamentary capacity.
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