A person who has been issued with a grant to administer a deceased person's estate. Until a grant issues, the person is not a personal representative (PR) (the exception being an application under section 50 of the Administration of Justice Act 1985 to remove a PR). In practice, the term is commonly used in the broader sense of a person who is entitled to apply for a grant and administer the estate.

If there is a will that names the person(s) entitled to become PR(s), they are known as the executor(s) (sometimes called an executrix, if a woman).

If there is no will (or if there is no executor named in the will, or if the executor is unable or unwilling to act), the Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987 (SI 1987/2024) set out who can apply to court to be the PR. The PR in this case is known as the administrator.