VERONICA Duncan claims that she was attacked by her aristocratic ex-husband in the basement of their home, shortly after he murdered their children’s nanny.
Her husband, Lord Lucan, went on the run shortly after the incident and a new BBC documentary named after him will dive into the bizarre case that rocked society.
Lord Lucan married Veronica Duncan in 1963Hulton Archive- getty
Veronica was a model before she married Lord LucanHulton Archive- getty
Marrying into high society
Veronica was born in 1937 to Major Charles Moorhouse and his wife Thelma.
She worked as a secretary and model in London, before joining London’s high society when her sister married an upper-class man.
Veronica met Richard John Bingham, known as Lord Lucan, at a golf event in 1963 and quickly began a romance with him.
Things moved quickly for the new couple who got engaged in October that same year and tied the knot just a month later.
With their marriage, Veronica became Countess of Lucan.
An unhappy marriage
Veronica’s ex-husband was the seventh Earl of Lucan, whose great-great grandfather ordered the botched Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War.
He was known as “Lucky” because of a gambling win that saw him take home a prize worth £26,000 when he was on an annual wage of £500.
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His lavish lifestyle made him a contender for the role of James Bond, but there were problems beneath the facade of his perfect life.
Veronica developed postnatal depression after giving birth to the couple’s children, the first of which, George, was born in 1967.
She then gave birth to the couple’s second child, Camilla, in 1970 and another child shortly after.
Veronica has since claimed that her husband was abusive during this time and said that this contributed to their eventual split in 1973.
A fierce legal battle ensued, which Veronica eventually won, leaving “Lucky” Lucan with piles of huge legal bills.
Surviving a murder attempt
On November 7, 2024, Veronica stumbled into the Plumber’s Arm in West London and screamed for help.
She was covered in blood and was saying that she had just “escaped from being murdered”.
Veronica also said: “He’s in the house.
“He’s murdered the nanny”
According to Lady Lucan, she had sent her nanny to the basement to make a cup of tea at around 9pm that evening.
She grew suspicious when nanny, Sandra Rivett, did not return and decided to go down on her own.
Veronica says that she was attacked by her husband upon entering the basement, but claims that she was able to persuade him to stop his attack.
A subsequent search of the home by the police found Sandra’s body in a sack, alongside the weapon used by the killer.
Lord Lucan’s run from the law
Veronica’s husband went on the run and stayed overnight at his friend Ian Maxwell-Scott’s house in Uckfield, Sussex.
He was last seen leaving the home on November 8, 1974, and subsequently disappeared.
An inquest found that Lucan was responsible for the murder after just 31 minutes, thanks to Veronica’s testimony and the discovery of Sandra’s blood on Lucan’s tires.
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A friend of Lucan’s said that he planned to kill his wife to save himself from bankruptcy, which he believed he was facing after the couple’s fierce legal battle and a string of gambling losses.
He was never found, leading some to believe that he took his own life.
Veronica herself believed that her ex-husband threw himself into the channel.
Her son, George, inherited his father’s title after applying for a death certificate for his father under the Presumption of Death Act in 2016.
Lucan’s son, Lord George, became the eight Earl LucanAFP-Getty
Veronica’s tragic passing
Veronica was found dead in 2017, when police broke down the door of her Belgravia home in September 2017.
Her son, George, the 8th Earl Lucan, told the Daily Mail: “She passed away at home, alone and apparently peacefully.
“Police were alerted by a companion to a three-day absence and made entry.”
An inquest discovered that she had committed suicide because she believed that she had developed Parkinson’s disease.
A BBC documentary
The shocking murder of Sandra Rivett will be explored in a BBC documentary series entitled Lucan, which will air on November 6, 2024.
The three-part series will focus on Sandra’s son, a builder named Neil Berriman, who was unaware of his mother’s identity for much of his life.
He had been put up for adoption as a baby and only learned who his mother was at the age of 40.