20/06/2026 09:09 - Entretenimiento
Ilustración de misterio británico de los años 70, salón elegante con sombras, figura aristocrática desapareciendo en la oscuridad hacia un sótano, atmósfera cinematográfica noir
Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan, was the stereotype of the British aristocrat: educated at Eton, a professional gambler, known to his friends as "Lucky". But that fortune had become a curse: he was accumulating debts and facing bankruptcy. Separated from his wife Veronica since January 1973, he was fighting a bitter battle for custody of his three children. On November 7, 1974, everything collapsed brutally.
According to judicial reconstruction, Lord Lucan hid in the basement kitchen of his residence in Belgravia, London, waiting in the darkness. His target was his wife Veronica, from whom he was separated. However, in a fatal error, he mistook Sandra Rivett, the 29-year-old nanny, for Lady Lucan.
He beat her to death with a lead pipe. He then attacked his wife, who managed to escape injured and run to a nearby pub shouting: "He murdered the nanny, help me". Lord Lucan fled and was never seen alive again.
Shocking fact: The coroner's court needed only 31 minutes on June 19, 1975, to declare Lord Lucan guilty of murder.
| Victim | Sandra Rivett (29) |
| Perpetrator | John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan |
| Date | November 7, 1974 |
| Location | Belgravia, London |
| Weapon | Lead pipe |
| Verdict | Guilty (06/19/1975) |
| Whereabouts | Unknown |
For over 50 years, hypotheses about Lord Lucan's fate have generated books, films, documentaries, and a public fascination that never fades. The case has been described as "a national game of Cluedo".
The most widespread version suggests Lord Lucan threw himself into the sea near Newhaven, on England's south coast, and drowned. His Ford Corsair was found abandoned three days after the crime, with bloodstains matching the victims and a lead pipe similar to the murder weapon in the trunk.
One of the most gruesome theories holds that the earl shot himself and asked for his body to be fed to the lions at the private zoo of his friend John Aspinall, owner of the exclusive Clermont Club. Aspinall declared in 1994: "I would have done for him what he asked of me".
In 2012, a former personal assistant to Aspinall told the BBC she had booked flights to Africa for Lucan's older children between 1979 and 1981, so their father could see them from afar. According to this version, Lord Lucan lived in an African colonial country, watching his children from a distance.
Lucan's wealthy circle of friends, known as "the Clermont set", was accused of protecting him. A Sussex detective said: "I think it was a distraction maneuver". The press described a "Masonic-style bond" between these aristocrats who might have helped his escape.
Historian Alex von Tunzelmann, host of the podcast The Lucan Obsession, points out that both Lord and Lady Lucan's versions are "questionable":
"It's probably unsolvable", concludes Von Tunzelmann.
Veronica Duncan (1937-2017), former model and secretary, married Lucan on October 14, 1963. After the attack, she suffered mental health problems and, just a few years after her husband's disappearance, lost custody of her children.
In an interview with the BBC in 1980, she declared: "My husband is still alive, and I have no reason to think otherwise, since his body has not been found". About the night of the crime, she said: "For me, it was just a brief incident I've forgotten. I'm recovered now, it was just a marital matter".
Lady Lucan died in 2017, never having reconciled with her children.
Marriage
October 14, 1963
Separation
January 1973
Death
2017
At the center of the mystery —though frequently ignored— is Sandra Rivett, the 29-year-old nanny who lost her life that night. As Von Tunzelmann notes: "Sandra Rivett is completely deprived of voice in this case. Many times she's referred to simply as 'the nanny'; people don't even call her by name". The media focus was always on the dysfunctional aristocratic marriage, leaving in the shadows the one who truly paid the highest price.
Source: BBC News Mundo | The case remains open after more than 50 years without definitive answers.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
