Q. I am divorced from my first wife with whom I had two sons, who are both in their thirties. The first son, from whom I am estranged, is married and doing very well. I have not seen him for over 20 years and he has prevented me from seeing my grandchildren; the second suffered at the time of the divorce and went on to have a serious accident and head injury shortly after.
He is unmarried but has a daughter and worked in a machine shop for 15 years. He lives with his mother. I have seen him once in the past six years and I do not see my granddaughter. He really needs support but is hopeless with money — my former wife has supported him for the last decade or so at her home.
I am remarried and have a stepson whom I see regularly and he and his partner allow us both to see their children. We have substantial assets.
My question is, do I have to leave or provide for either of my two sons by the first marriage? And how do I protect my second wife, who is increasingly disabled, from a claim by them on my or her estate when either of us die?
Richard from Lancashire
