I never met my father, who disappeared before I was born, and I learned of his death only some months ago. I wondered whether I had any claim on his estate under his will now that he’s died?
If you are going to stake a claim under the family provision legislation you should act quickly, since applications must be made within six months of the issue of the Grant of Probate. If your father was a wealthy man it might be worth pursuing, since there have been cases where children abandoned by a parent at birth have made successful claims, although there has generally been some dependency or need shown. This is assuming he made a will. If he didn’t make a will and left no wife or other children you could be his sole heir.