Homelessness charity Shelter has confirmed it is set to receive the entire estate of Lady Lucan, possibly worth millions of pounds, following her death in September.
A spokeswoman for the charity said the proceeds from Lady Lucan’s estate will go towards the charity’s work “fighting bad housing and homelessness”, although she refused to confirm how much money had been donated to the charity.
She said: “At a time when over 300,000 people in Britain are without a home, we are incredibly grateful for the support we receive. The proceeds from Lady Lucan’s estate will help Shelter to continue fighting bad housing and homelessness.”
Veronica, the Dowager Countess of Lucan, was found dead at her home in Westminster in September last year. Numerous publications reported the 80-year-old had taken her own life after “a false self-diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease”.
Lady Lucan was married to John Bingham, the seventh Earl of Lucan, who disappeared in 1974 after allegedly murdering Sandra Rivett, the couple’s nanny, and severely beating his wife. In 1975, an inquest jury declared Lord Lucan guilty of Rivet’s murder.
The couple had three children, Frances, Camilla and George, now the eight Earl of Lucan. The Guardian reports however that Lady Lucan “had severed relations with her family in the 1980s, and continued to decline contact with them right up until her death”.
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Camilla Bingham confirmed that Lady Lucan had “left her estate to the homeless [sic] charity Shelter”. The three children also gave a joint statement to the newspaper, saying they remembered their mother “lovingly and with admiration”.
While Shelter have refused to say how much Lucan’s estate is worth, the Mail on Sunday reported that the Belgravia townhouse in which she was found dead is worth £2.9m.
The MoS also reported that “an auction will take place in Oxfordshire next month where Lady Lucan’s possessions will be sold. Among the items are expected to include a large oil portrait of her husband and a personalised top hat”.
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