16:16 04 November 2015
Lord Lucan will be officially declared “presume dead” this week after he vanished without a trace in 1974. His son, 48-year-old George Bingham, is set to obtain a death certificate for his father in the High Court, allowing him to inherit Lord Lucan’s title.
Lord Lucan disappeared after his children’s nanny, Sandra Rivett was murdered with a lead pipe in the basement of the family home in Belgravia, central London.
He had been legally declared dead for the sole purpose of a probate settlement but his son’s petition to take his father’s seat in the House of Lords was not approved. Mr. Bingham has previously said that he is not convinced that his father killed Ms Rivett but believes he did commit suicide after her death.
It is suspected that Lucan killed his nanny when he mistook her for his wife on the night of the murder. Lady Lucan identified her husband who attacked her and killed Sandra Rivett. Lord Lucan, was named prime suspect.
Lord Lucan, aged 39 when he disappeared, has not been seen since the early hours of the next day, when he visited the home of a friend in Sussex. However, there are unverified sightings of him in places ranging from Australia to Botswana.