TIMELINE OF TRAGEDY
THE MARRIAGE THAT WOULD LEAD TO MURDER AND MYSTERY
November 1963 Richard John Bingham, soon to be the 7th Earl of Lucan, marries Veronica Duncan at Holy Trinity Church, Brompton, in London’s South Kensington. End of 1972
Their marriage collapses and Lord Lucan moves out of the home, loses his battle for custody of their three children, and accumulates gambling losses.
Nov 7 1974 The Lucans’ nanny, 29-year-old Sandra Rivett, is bludgeoned to death with a bandaged lead pipe in the dark of the basement kitchen of the Belgravia home while Lady Lucan is upstairs. When Lady Lucan investigates the commotion, she too is attacked. She manages to escape and, covered in blood, raises the alarm in the nearby Plumbers Arms pub. Lady Lucan soon identifies
the attacker as her husband, who has by now disappeared without a trace. Nov 10 1974
Lucan’s borrowed Ford Corsair is found abandoned in East Sussex, spattered with blood. A bandaged lead pipe covered in Rivett’s and Lady Lucan’s DNA is found in the boot. June 1975 At an inquest into Rivett’s death, Lucan is named as her killer. Meanwhile various supposed sightings of him have been reported, including in Australia and France. He pops up everywhere from Guatemala to Iceland, Paraguay to Italy, but is never found. 1999 Lucan’s family is granted probate over his estate, but no death certificate is issued. Feb 3 2016
Lucan’s death certificate is issued after a
High Court judge rules he is presumed dead.
June 5 2017 In an interview for a documentary for ITV, Lady Lucan issues an apology over Rivett’s murder, saying she is “deeply sad” that her own marital problems caused her to die. Sept 26 2017
Lady Lucan is found dead at her home at the age of 80, with a pill bottle under her body. She had spent her
final years as a recluse. Jan 10 2018 An inquest hears Lady Lucan died from respiratory failure caused by barbiturates and alcohol poisoning.
2019 Letters from Lady Lucan to her solicitor are found under the floorboards of her former west London mews house, shedding new light on her relationship with Lord Lucan.