Sir Benjamin Slade, 79, went on the hunt for a significantly younger woman to bear him a son who will inherit his vast 1,300-acre Somerset estate – but it all ended in tears
While many are on dating apps for a bit of fun or fleeting romances, one pensioner has taken to Tinder in search of something far more permanent.
The 79-year-old multi-millionaire, Sir Benjamin Slade, was on a mission to find a significantly younger woman, whom he endearingly refers to as a “good breeder” to bear him a son who will inherit his sprawling 1,300-acre Somerset estate.
After previously placing an ad in a newspaper seeking a wife to provide him with two sons, Sir Benjamin’s modern approach was captured on the Channel 5 show “Millionaire Age Gap Love”.
Born in 1946, Sir Benjamin has been down the aisle before but remains without children. So, he resumed his quest for a wife.
On the programme, he said: “I don’t think I’m too old to have children because I have a nine-month supply frozen in a sperm bank and I can use that.”, reports Wales Online.
When a member of his staff introduced him to Tinder, they quickly set up an account, albeit with a cheeky little white lie about his age, “shaving off a few years” to make him appear 56, and he began his search.
As he started swiping, he was less than impressed by the women he came across, making comments such as “oh no she’s dreadful” and “oh no I don’t like that,” and when it came to age, Sir Ben was equally picky.
The businessman and self-publicist once justified his pursuit of women three to four decades his junior by saying: “You want a new car, you get a new car, not some old banger.”
Upon stumbling upon a profile of a woman in her late 50s, he firmly stated: “She’s 58, that’s a bit old for me. Can we change the ages to under 40s?”.
However, after several more unsuccessful swipes, the Baronet decided it wasn’t his cup of tea, remarking: “They could be ladies of the night for all I know.”
When the programme concluded, it appeared as though all of Sir Benjamin’s dreams had come true. The Daily Mail reported he was set to marry American poet and composer Sahara Sunday Spain, who is significantly younger than him, with a baby on the way.
Yet what was supposed to be a fairytale ending, if one could ever describe it as such, turned into a catastrophe. Not just one but two ceremonies arranged by Sahara were cancelled at the last minute by Sir Benjamin.
Regarding his offspring, the 7th Baronet’s quest for the 8th is set to continue as the baby is a girl, creating an “awkward situation” according to a friend. Despite his decade-long search for a partner and a family, Sir Benjamin appears to have no interest in his daughter.
In 2022, it was revealed he had never even met his child, who now resides in France with her mother in their family’s lavish 16th-century chateau. Having connected through a high-end co-parenting agency and the successful course of IVF, Sahara now labels Sir Benjamin as “utterly shameful”.
She continued: “I know Ben wanted a boy, but he didn’t know the sex of the baby when he cancelled our second wedding. Would he have had a change of heart if I’d have had a son? Only Ben knows that. But he has no interest in meeting Violet. His behaviour is devastating.”
It appears that karma has finally caught up with Sir Ben. Despite acknowledging paternity, it seems the future of Maunsel House may slip from the family’s grasp.
Sir Slade is said to be in talks with a luxury hotel group to take over the sprawling estate. However, he has been assured that he will maintain visiting rights to his ancestral home – albeit at a price.