A 79-year-old British aristocrat has reignited his decades-long quest for a younger wife to produce a male heir and secure his family legacy, advertising the position with a £50,000 annual salary, accommodation, and meals and other perks.
The aristocrat, Sir Benjamin Slade, the seventh Baronet of Maunsel House in Somerset, owns a sprawling 1,300-acre estate held by his family since 1772, according to The New York Post.
Slade tried to find his bride on Tinder
According to reports, Slade had made efforts to find his bride on Tinder, via television and newspaper ads.
Facing financial pressures after COVID-19 hit wedding venue business, he’s negotiating to sell to a luxury hotel chain and boasts a nine-month stockpile of frozen sperm for IVF.
What other criteria does he have on his list?
According to Slade, applicants must be 30-40 years younger than him, at least 167 cm tall, non-Scorpio, non-Guardian readers, not from “I” countries or those with green flags, and free of substance issues. The woman could have a daughter from a previous relationship, but the goal is to breed sons to inherit his estates.
Slade’s ad stresses a “good breeder” for lineage continuity, amid liquidity woes.
Slade’s previous marriage
He fathered a daughter in 2021 through IVF with American poet Sahara Sunday Spain, but later cancelled two planned weddings, according to The New York Post.
He was previously married to Pauline Myburgh, but the pair divorced in 1991. He claimed at the time that her 17 cats were too much for him to live with. The couple did not have any children.
In 2008, Slade’s quest for an heir drew worldwide attention, The Independent reported. Speaking then about his preference for a younger bride, he had said, “You want a new car, you get a new car.”