UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Charles Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough, faces three intentional strangulation charges from 2022-2024 and will appear at Oxford court on Thursday.
As reported by Marcus White of the BBC, the UK aristocrat, the Duke of Marlborough, formerly known as Jamie Blandford, has been charged with intentional strangulation.
What charges does the Duke of Marlborough face in Oxford?
Charles James Spencer-Churchill, a relative of Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales, faces accusations of committing three offences between November 2022 and May 2024, Thames Valley Police confirmed.
After being arrested on 13 May last year, the 70-year-old will appear at Oxford Magistrates’ Court this Thursday.
Authorities said the alleged non-fatal intentional strangulation offences took place in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, targeting the same individual.
Spencer-Churchill, called Jamie by his family, is part of one of Britain’s most prominent aristocratic families and has a known history of drug addiction.
The 12th Duke of Marlborough, a first cousin three times removed of wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, inherited the title in 2014 after his father’s death.
Before becoming Duke, Spencer-Churchill, twice married and also known as Jamie Blandford, held the title Marquess of Blandford and resided at the historic 300-year-old Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, the birthplace of Winston Churchill.
Blenheim Palace, the 18th-century Baroque estate with parklands designed by “Capability” Brown, is neither owned nor managed by the Duke, though it remains a major visitor attraction.
The late Duke introduced a legal action in 1994 to prevent his son from taking control of the family seat, which is now managed by the Blenheim Palace Heritage Foundation.
A spokesperson for the foundation said,
“Blenheim Palace Heritage Foundation is aware legal proceedings have been brought against the Duke of Marlborough. The foundation is unable to comment on the charges, which relate to the duke’s personal conduct and private life, and which are subject to live, criminal proceedings.”
It added,
“The foundation is not owned or managed by the Duke of Marlborough, but by independent entities run by boards of trustees.”
What events have taken place at Blenheim Palace in recent years?
At Blenheim Palace, King Charles hosted a reception for European leaders in July 2024, and previously in 2015, Queen Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall, joined Spencer-Churchill to unveil a bust of Winston Churchill on the palace grounds.
During a 2019 robbery at Blenheim Palace, intruders forced their way in and stole an 18-carat gold toilet, valued at £4.75 million, in a daring heist.
Which historical charges did the 1st Duke of Marlborough face during his lifetime?
The 1st Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill, also faced serious charges during his lifetime. In 1692, he was removed from all his posts and briefly imprisoned in the Tower of London due to persistent charges of Jacobitism.
In 1711, he was again sacked from office after allegations of financial corruption and embezzlement during the War of the Spanish Succession.
Who is a Duke and Duchess?
In the British peerage, a Duke is the highest-ranking hereditary title below a monarch. A Duchess is the female equivalent of this rank, held either by the wife of a duke or by a woman who holds the title in her own right. These are members of the royal family who hold the title of Prince or Princess alongside their dukedom.