LONDON (Reuters) – The will of Prince Philip, the late husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, will be sealed and remain private for at least 90 years to preserve the monarch’s dignity, a judge at London’s High Court has ruled.

Philip, the Duke, was married for over seven decades to the British monarch, aged 95. He died on April 9 at Windsor Castle, his home west of London.

Andrew McFarlane (the president of court’s Family Division) said that Philip’s will would be sealed in accordance with an old convention.

McFarlane also supported the “exclusion of the estate value from the grant probate.”

McFarlane published a decision on Thursday saying that the amount of public attention publication could attract “would be very extensive” and was incompatible with the goal to preserve the dignity the Sovereign.

According to McFarlane, the convention stated that the Family Division president was required to sign the will after the death or resignation of senior royals. All hearings and judgements were kept secret.

He said that it was “as clear from this judgement” that he felt that the application to seal HRH Prince Philip’s will had been made, granted, in private. To explain why, the judge stated.

According to the judge, 90 years would have passed since probate was granted before the will could be released. He said that this time period was adequate and proportionate.

The judge stated that Prince Francis of Teck (the younger brother to George V’s wife, Queen Mary) was the first royal whose will had been sealed. He claimed he was the custodian for the safe which contained over 30 envelopes that held the wills and testaments of the deceased royals.

According to him, the latest additions came in 2002 after the death of Elizabeth’s mother and Princess Margaret.