There is no rule or principle that in cases of significant financial need there is an obligation to make provision for an estranged adult child irrespective of the estrangement, except in circumstances of callousness or hostility. Estrangement is neither a determinative factor against nor in favour of provision — it is simply one factor to be taken into account with all the circumstances. Statements in particular cases about the significance of estrangement are not to be elevated to overriding rules or principles. A testator may, in appropriate circumstances, be entitled to make no provision for an estranged adult child even where that child is in significant financial need and the estate is of sufficient size to accommodate provision.
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