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Sir Andrew Ewart McFarlane PC (born 20 June 1954)[1] is a British retired judge who served as President of the Family Division from 2018 to 2026. He was previously a Lord Justice of Appeal in England and Wales from 2011 to 2018.[2]

Early life and education

McFarlane was brought up in Solihull, West Midlands, before moving to Crosby, Merseyside.[3] He was educated at Shrewsbury School and studied law at Collingwood College, Durham, and graduated in 1975.[4] He was an early member of Durham University Sensible Thespians (later renamed The Durham Revue), a sketch comedy group founded in 1973.[5]

McFarlane was called to the bar at Gray’s Inn in 1977 and has been a Bencher since 2003. He began his pupillage in London at chancery chambers before moving to 2 Fountain Court in Birmingham (now St Philips Chambers). While there, he and David Hershman wrote Hershman and McFarlane: Children Law and Practice. He then moved to 1 King’s Bench Walk in Temple, London in 1994.[3] In 1998, he became a Queen’s Counsel.

He was appointed an Assistant Recorder in 1995, a Recorder in 1999 and a deputy High Court Judge in 2000. He was appointed as a judge of the High Court of Justice on 18 April 2005[6] and assigned to the Family Division, receiving the customary knighthood. McFarlane was the Family Division Liaison Judge for the Midland Circuit from 2006 until his appointment as a Lord Justice of Appeal[7] on 28 July 2011,[8] whereupon he received the customary appointment to the Privy Council. On 28 July 2018, he was appointed President of the Family Division.[9]

He was, until January 2019, the President of Tribunals and Chair of the Clergy Discipline Commission of the Church of England under the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003.[10]

In 2021, McFarlane ordered that the will of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh would be sealed for at least 90 years.[11] The original will and its envelope, alongside at least thirty others belonging to various members of the Royal Family now deceased, are stored in a safe and retained in the custody of the President of the Family Division.[12][13]

References

  1. ^ “Senior Judiciary”. www.judiciary.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018.
  2. ^ Lindup, Hannah (14 April 2026). “President of the Family Division Sir Andrew McFarlane retires from the judiciary”. Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  3. ^ a b “The family justice man: Sir Andrew McFarlane P”. Counsel Magazine. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  4. ^ “Wood Words 2010/11”.
  5. ^ “The Durham Revue Reunion 2018 – Dunelm”. Dunelm. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  6. ^ “No. 57620”. The London Gazette. 21 April 2005. p. 5195.
  7. ^ “Appointment of Lords Justices of Appeal” (Press release). number10.gov.uk. 30 June 2011. Archived from the original on 5 July 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  8. ^ “No. 59867”. The London Gazette. 2 August 2011. p. 14721.
  9. ^ “Biography of The Rt Hon Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division and Chair of the Family Justice Council”. www.judiciary.uk. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  10. ^ “Clergy Discipline Commission”. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  11. ^ Media, P. A. (16 September 2021). “Prince Philip’s will to remain secret for 90 years, high court rules”. The Guardian. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  12. ^ Re: The Will of His late Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh [2021] EWHC 77 (Fam) at [14]
  13. ^ “Procedural Note: The procedure for unsealing 90-year-old Royal wills”. Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2025.