There's quite a lot going on there!
If the family home was in joint names, it passes outside the estate.
After that, on the face of it, the wife has a one third entitlement to what's in the estate.
Is it possible that there was ever a Separation Agreement- where the parties waived their Succession Act rights?
Or that the wife would disclaim her right?
Or that the legal personal representative could seek to use the provisions of Section 120 (2) of the Act?
(2) A spouse against whom the deceased obtained a decree of divorce a mensa et thoro, a spouse who failed to comply with a decree of restitution of conjugal rights obtained by the deceased and a spouse guilty of desertion which has continued up to the death for two years or more shall be precluded from taking any share in the estate of the deceased as a legal right or on intestacy.
And, on this:
Your late father must have had very bad legal advice if he made a will leaving 100% of his estate to his children while not getting legally separated or divorced.
Askaboutmoney never gets the full picture- lord only knows what the client said or the solicitor told him. Many clients choose to only tell, hear and do what they want to.
mf