Power of attorney. Executors, legalities of removal of items

Flugelhorn

What it is worth noting is that likely that the couple simply left everything to each other and on the death of the second person it would go to children etc - so as much of what they will have had will have been jointly owned it may simply have passed as survivor to his widow and will never need to go to probate. I along with many others did not need to get probate on the death of the first parent only the second

Malthusian

wannaberich41 said:

How do we know if it goes to probate? 

Give them a decent amount of time to sort it out (say a year) and then search the probate records. If his Will appears then it went to probate, if not it didn't.
It is entirely possible that she doesn't need to open the Will to know that she is his sole beneficiary - that would be very normal. The bit about "seeing a solicitor for it to be read" sounds like theatrics. As has been said, this isn't an Agatha Christie novel.
If she is her late husband's sole beneficiary, then she can do what she likes with the farming ornaments, watches, car etc.
A verbal expression of wishes has no legal force so, if she is sole beneficiary, she is entirely within her rights not to follow his wish to pass the car to the grandchild.