Lord Lucan's son applies for father to be 'presumed dead'

  • London
Lord Lucan vanished in 1974 but there have been numerous reported sightings around the world Credit: PA

The only son of Lord Lucan is making a bid in the High court to have his father declared "presumed dead" so a death certificate can be issued and he can inherit his title.

Lord Lucan vanished without trace on the 7th November 1974 following the murder of his children’s nanny Sandra Rivett.

She died after being bludgeoned with a lead pipe in the basement of the Lucan family home in Belgravia.

He was last seen alive in Uckfield but has never been seen since and no body has ever been found.

Today the High Court will hear an application from his son, George Bingham under the Presumption of Death Act.

He wants to inherit his father's title and become the 8th Earl of Lucan.

There have been several theories about what happened to Lord Lucan.

The story has been the subject of numerous books and films and recently it was claimed the missing peer shot himself with a pistol and his body was fed to a tiger in a zoo.