79-Year-Old Baron Launches Search For Heir-Producing Bride

New Delhi:

A 79-year-old British aristocrat has revived his unusual and highly public search for a young wife—one who, he hopes, can produce a male heir fit to inherit his sprawling 1,300-acre estate. Sir Benjamin Slade, the seventh Baronet of Maunsel House, has once again invited applicants for what he openly describes as a “role,” complete with an annual salary, accommodation and a checklist of personal requirements.

Slade has been attempting to secure a successor for decades. His past efforts have included newspaper ads, online profiles and television appearances, often drawing global attention for their eccentric tone. Despite the publicity, he has not yet found the partner he believes is suitable to continue his lineage.

This time, Slade has shared an updated list of who should not apply. He ruled out women who are Scorpios, Guardian readers, or from countries beginning with the letter “I,” and even those whose national flag contains the colour green. On the other hand, applicants with a helicopter licence or a legal background score extra points.

The age gap he prefers is also sharply defined. Slade wants someone three to four decades younger, explaining that his primary objective is to secure an heir who would eventually inherit Maunsel House. He added that a woman who already has a daughter “somewhere in between” is still welcome to apply.

The financial offer, he insists, is straightforward: £50,000 per year, full accommodation and meals. However, he also notes that personal wealth would be “helpful,” writing in one of his requirements that “a little private capital” is good, while “a large fortune” would be even better.

Despite owning extensive land, Slade is reportedly facing liquidity issues. The ancestral estate, held by his family since 1772, may be sold to a luxury hotel chain after wedding-venue business declined sharply during the pandemic years.

Slade has even prepared for the future in advance—revealing that he has a nine-month supply of frozen sperm stored, waiting for the “right partner.”

His unusual quest first captured global attention in 2008. Over the years, he has made attempts to settle down, including fathering a daughter in 2021 through IVF with American poet Sahara Sunday Spain. Two planned weddings were later cancelled. He was earlier married to Pauline Myburgh, a marriage that ended in 1991 after disagreements—famously, he once claimed her 17 cats were too much to handle.

With his renewed search now public again, Sir Benjamin Slade hopes that this time, the long hunt for a “suitable bride” will finally end in success.