Britain's Lord Chancellor is reported to have refused Lord Lucan's son, George Bingham, permission to take his father's place in the House of Lords, because there is no definitive proof that the Earl is dead. According to the Times newspaper in London, Lord Irvine felt that technical details, such as the lack of a death certificate, left him with no choice but to reject the application. Lord Lucan has not been seen since November 7, 1974 when his family's nanny, Sandra Rivett, was found dead at the family home in London. She had been bludgeoned to death with a lead pipe.
