Intestacy - who can apply for a grant

Looking for help please. I have an estate where husband and wife both died interstate. Wife survived husband and a grant taken out to deal with her estate by her children. Now come to light that husband who died first still had property in his sole name. Can the administrators named in wife’s grant (husbands step children) make an application for a grant in husbands estate or does it have to be one of the husbands children or other relatives who he has been estranged from for 30 years.

There is no chain of representation on intestacy. If they don’t want to be involved, perhaps the husband’s children could appoint wife’s administrators as their attorneys.

How long was there between the deaths?

Thank you for your reply. There have been about 10 years between the deaths. The whereabouts of the children are unknown, the stepchildren said their mother had been with their stepfather for 30 years and never met them. We will have to track them down and see if they will appoint the stepchildren to act. Thank you again for your response.