Camilla Jessen
Castle owner’s bizarre checklist for future wife.
A 79-year-old landowner in southwest England has opened an unconventional hunt for a life partner, offering an annual £50,000 allowance to the woman who meets his long list of criteria.
His conditions, reported widely in the UK press, have raised eyebrows for their strict — and often eccentric — nature.
Sir Benjamin Slade, known for his sizeable estate and historic properties, insists he is simply looking for someone compatible. But his definition of compatibility is unusually specific.
Strict requirements
According to British media reports, Slade rejects applicants from any country beginning with the letter “I” or with green in the national flag.
He told reporters he prefers women from Canada, the US, Germany or Northern Europe — “what I call similar people.”
He also rules out anyone who reads The Guardian, is Scottish, drinks alcohol, uses drugs or happens to be a Scorpio.
Candidates must be at least 1.68m tall and possess a long list of practical skills.
Skills and duties
The future partner must know ballroom dancing, play bridge and backgammon, and enjoy crossword puzzles.
She should also be physically fit, able to “walk fast,” swim confidently and manage two castles.
Slade says legal and accounting knowledge is essential, along with the ability to help run his estates.
A gun licence and a helicopter pilot’s licence are listed as additional expectations for the role.
His preferred age gap is driven, he claims, by financial reasons.
He wants someone “at least 20 years younger,” explaining that inheritance tax rules make it difficult to secure his estate for an older spouse. “I can’t insure a 70-year-old woman,” he said, arguing that a younger partner allows him to leave assets “tax-free.”
Future plans
On the subject of heirs, Slade remarked that he would like “two sons, three would be better,” but noted that two would be enough to settle succession matters.
The chosen partner would receive an annual £50,000 stipend — just over £4,000 per month — to support her role.
Slade, who lives at Maunsel House in Bridgwater, described himself as highly social and said his wife would need to integrate naturally into his lifestyle.
“I’m very sociable, I need to have someone who fits in,” he said.
Sources: UK press, Digi24
