How do you register a death in these circumstances?

[tb]

DH has an elderly relative by marriage, and has been appointed their executor.

The relative was born in France, their mother was French, and their father British having served during WWI, and stayed in 1918.

When the relative was born, their birth was registered in the village, but neither the British Embassy in Paris, High Commission or any other British authority were informed.

The family left France, the relative had no siblings or children, in 1939, and they have lived permanently in the UK ever since. At the age of 21 they were serving in the British armed forces and so took up British nationality and have had a British passport ever since. Their parents returned to France, to the same village as before the war and are both buried there.

Due to this strange set of circumstances, their birth is not registered with the GRO, but their 2 marriages and death of their spouse are. The marriages and death are officially unknown in France, even though the authorities opened the parents' grave to bury their spouse's ashes. To the French authorities they are officially single.

So, given that due to the relative time they spend in France and the UK, they are likely to die in the UK.

With no record of their birth, how can their death be registered in the UK?

The birth certificate is not required to register a death - have a look at the death registration tool on gov.uk.

If they have a British passport then you should have the information you need without a birth certificate.

this says "it is also useful if you have the deceased?s passport, birth certificate and (if applicable) marriage certificate to hand but these documents are not essential provided you are able to give the Registrar the correct information"

Presumably a UK doctor will sign a cause of death certificate (Can't remember precise name) when the time comes. That will be enough, I imagine, to register the death.

Thanks for all your help - I've been meaning to ask the question for ages.

They had a fall just before Christmas and lost a lot of blood as, in their own words, they'd scalped themselves and needed over an hour of broderie anglaise to repair the damage.

So, thought I'd better post it, as at 90, this will probably happen within the next 10 years or so. Still they managed to register their Kindle keyboard on their own, so their brain works as well as it ever did

LOL at an hour of broderie anglaise!!!