Lady Lucan, whose husband Lord Lucan famously disappeared more than 40 years ago, has passed away at the age of 80. Police forced entry to her property in Westminster on Tuesday afternoon after she was reported missing, and found her unresponsive. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police confirmed: "Police attended an address in Westminster following concerns for the welfare or an elderly occupant. Officers forced entry and found an 80-year-old woman unresponsive. Police and London ambulance service attended. Although we await formal identification, we are confident that the deceased is Lady Lucan."
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© Photo: Getty ImagesLord and Lady Lucan pictured on their wedding day in November 1963
Lady Lucan, formerly Veronica Duncan, was one of the last people to see her husband, John Bingham, the 7th Earl of Lucan, alive before his disappearance. He vanished after the murdered body of Sandra Rivett, nanny to the couple's three children, was found at the family home at 46 Lower Belgrave Street, on 7 November 1974. That same night, the attacker also turned on Lady Lucan, beating her severely before she managed to escape and raise the alarm at a nearby pub. Lord Lucan's car was later found abandoned and soaked in blood in New Haven, East Sussex, and an inquest jury declared him to be the killer of Ms Rivett a year later.
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The British peer was officially declared dead by the High Court in 1999 – although there have been reported sightings in Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Ireland. A High Court judge granted a death certificate in February last year, allowing his son, Lord Bingham, to take over his title.
