THE Duke of Marlborough has been charged with three counts of intentional strangulation.
Charles James Spencer-Churchill – formerly known as Jamie Blandford – was held by police in May last year.
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The Duke of Marlborough has been charged with strangulationCredit: Alamy
His family own Blenheim PalaceCredit: Alamy
Officers confirmed the Duke, whose family own Blenheim Palace, has now been charged with three offences.
The 70-year-old will appear at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
He is accused of non-fatal intentional strangulation between November 2022 and May 2024.
The three charges are alleged to have taken place in Oxfordshire against the same person.
Spencer-Churchill, known to his family as Jamie, is the 12th Duke of Marlborough and a member of one of Britain’s most aristocratic families.
He is related to Princess Diana and is a great nephew of wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill.
Spencer-Churchill inherited his dukedom in 2014, following the death of his father, the 11th Duke of Marlborough.
His ancestral family home is the 300-year-old Blenheim Palace – Sir Winston’s birthplace – in Woodstock.
But the Duke does not own the 18th century palace – and has no role in the running of the residence and vast estate.
The estate is instead owned and 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.
“The foundation is not owned or managed by the Duke of Marlborough, but by independent entities run by boards of trustees.”
The King hosted a reception at Blenheim Palace for European leaders in July 2024.
Queen Camilla – then the Duchess of Cornwall – joined Spencer-Churchill for the unveiling of a bust of Sir Winston in the grounds of Blenheim in 2015.
Spencer-Churchill joins Camilla at Blenheim Palace in 2015Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
