A finding that an applicant's conduct warrants a reduction in their moral claim on the testator's bounty must be given effect in the quantum of the order; failure to do so constitutes House v The King error. In cases of long estrangement, the court must assess who was responsible for initiating and maintaining the estrangement, and the instigator's role may substantially mitigate the effect of the estrangement on the applicant's claim. The fact of estrangement is relevant to the discretionary stage even where the applicant bears no fault, because the absence of a relationship diminishes the moral claim.
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