Lord Bath death: Longleat Safari Park owner dies aged 87 after contracting coronavirus

'Gloriously' eccentric aristocrat passes away following treatment for Covid-19 in hospital

Lord Bath, the eccentric aristocrat, polygamist and owner of Longleat Safari Park, has died aged 87 after contracting Covid-19.

Alexander Thynn was admitted to hospital in Bath on 28 March and tested positive for the coronavirus.

“It is with the deepest sadness we have to announce Lord Bath has died at the age of 87,” a statement from Longleat and the Thynn family said.

“Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath, passed away on Saturday, 4th April.”

The statement added: “The family would like to express their great appreciation for the dedicated team of nurses, doctors and other staff who cared so professionally and compassionately for Alexander in these extremely difficult times for everyone.

“They would politely request a period of privacy to deal with their loss.”

Lord Bath lived an unconventional life that included a brief political career as the founder of the Wessex Regionalist Party in the 1970s, during which he argued that Wessex should be made into a devolved region within the UK.

He later sat in the House of Lords as a Liberal Democrat peer, where he continued to argue for greater devolution in England, until his position was scrapped by Labour’s reforms to remove most of the hereditary peers in parliament.

The flamboyant aristocrat was notable for his colourful dress sense and for being a prolific amateur painter known for decorating rooms of his home with erotic scenes from the Kama Sutra.

He was also famous for openly having sexual relationships with more than 70 women during his 50-year marriage to Anna Gyarmathy and sometimes referred to these women as his "wifelets".

Kate Humble, who presented the television show Animal Park about Lord Bath’s estate, said she was “very sad” to hear about his death.

“Everyone will describe him as eccentric - and he was, gloriously so - but he was also kind and fun - and we all need a bit of kindness and fun in our lives,” Ms Humble wrote on Twitter.

Ben Fogle, who filmed the TV series with Ms Humble, said he was "devastated" by the news.​

Additional reporting by PA