"She Must Be Young": British Baronet Sir Benjamin Slade Seeks Young Wife to Give Him a Male Heir

• Sir Benjamin Slade, a 79-year-old British baronet, posted a viral video listing his unusual requirements for a future wife
• The eccentric aristocrat, who lives on a Somerset estate, has been searching for a young wife to bear him a male heir for years
• His strict checklist left viewers online divided, with some amused and others shocked by his criteria

Sir Benjamin Slade, a 79-year-old British baronet who lives at his ancestral Maunsel House estate in Somerset, England, is once again making headlines for his very public search for a young wife. A post shared on 11 August 2026 by the page @mindblowin.g shows the colourful aristocrat listing his requirements for a partner in a way that is equal parts satirical and serious.

Filmed at an outdoor garden setting, the on-screen text lays out his conditions. Among them: no Scorpios need apply, and prospective candidates should avoid reading The Guardian. The lighthearted framing did little to soften what is, by Slade's own admission, a deeply earnest mission.

Read also

Missing Milano Tlali: Ransom demand surfaces as search for continues for two-year-old boy

A long quest for a male heir

Slade inherited his baronetcy at just 15 after the death of his father in 1962. Having lost both his brother and mother in his early years, he is acutely aware of the pressure to pass on the family title and estate. He has placed public advertisements in the past seeking a young wife, with his stated requirements including a shotgun licence, a driver's licence, and a coat of arms.

His personal life has been well-documented in the British tabloids. He was married to Pauline Myburgh from 1977 to 1991, and later had relationships with socialite Fiona Aitken and actress Kirsten Hughes. His separation from domestic worker Bridget Convey in 2017 came, by his own account, because he felt she was too old to bear children. In 2021, he had a daughter named Violet with American poet Sahara Sunday Spain, though he has never met her and maintains that his search for a male heir continues.

Read also

Shimza and girlfriend Athi Geleba's romantic photo ignites Limpopo Boy warnings

Viewers react to Sir Benjamin's checklist

The post on the Instagram page drew plenty of attention online, with viewers split between laughter and disbelief:

@amadacsta said:

"I see this man every six months on my feed for the past 5 years! He's been 79 for the longest time! 😂"

@kmjoh98 wrote:

"My time to shine, ladies."

@annxhxinxn commented:

"No Scorpios, shot!"

Slade is no stranger to controversy. According to Wikipedia, in 2017, an employment tribunal ordered him to pay £179,500 after ruling he had unfairly dismissed two female employees who became pregnant.

More recently, he appeared on Channel 4's reality series Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing in March 2026, where his political views and support for Nigel Farage drew further public scrutiny. For now, the search goes on.

See the post that has the internet talking here.

More on wealthy personalities

• Briefly News recently reported on SA tech billionaire Mark Shuttleworth, who handed every single one of his employees a massive bonus after selling his company for billions.
• In another story, ASAP Rocky addressed claims about his relationship with Rihanna after fans questioned what her billion-dollar fortune means for him.
• A Limpopo mogul reportedly worth billions left South Africans stunned after struggling to answer basic questions about the continent he lives on.

Source: Briefly News