Charles James Spencer-Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough, is facing three counts of non-fatal intentional strangulation. The claims detail events that allegedly occurred during this period between November 2022 and May 2024 in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. They each feature the same first person. Spencer-Churchill, age 70, is an impressive character. He is often referred to as Jamie Blandford, and his family connections to other important historical figures Sir Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales, make him an intriguing character.
All but one of the charges against Spencer-Churchill were released publicly after his arrest on May 13, 2023. He has been ordered to appear at Oxford Magistrates Court on Thursday to answer the charges. His dukedom came to him in 2014 upon the death of his father, the 11th Duke of Marlborough.
Though few would have guessed it at birth, the name Charles James Spencer-Churchill bears an august pedigree. He doesn’t run or own Blenheim Palace — the ancestral family home that’s a UNESCO World Heritage site — famous for its breathtaking 18th century baroque architecture.
According to a spokesperson from the Blenheim Palace Heritage Foundation, legal action has been put in place to prosecute the Duke of Marlborough. The foundation is keenly aware. The foundation is not in a position to comment on the charges, which pertain to the duke’s personal behaviour and private life, and which are within the purview of ongoing, active, criminal proceedings.
The spokesperson clarified the operational structure of the foundation, emphasizing that “the foundation is not owned or managed by the Duke of Marlborough, but by independent entities run by boards of trustees.” This statement serves to further entrench the divide between Spencer-Churchill’s affair and the governance of Blenheim Palace.
As the case progresses through the legal system, attention will remain focused on both the charges and their implications for Spencer-Churchill’s public and private life.