The Spencer Churchill surname returned to the spotlight this Wednesday under particularly sensitive circumstances, having long been associated with the British aristocracy and the political life of the United Kingdom. Charles James Spencer Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, has been accused of a triple strangulation, according to Thames Valley Police. The case has sent shockwaves not only through British society but also internationally.
A distant cousin of Princess Diana of Wales has been formally charged with three counts of intentional strangulation against the same person in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, according to police. The 70-year-old aristocrat was arrested on May 13, 2024, following a police investigation and is scheduled to appear before Oxford Magistrates’ Court this Thursday, December 18.
The charges against Charles James Spencer Churchill are said to have taken place between November 2022 and May 2024. Married twice, he inherited the dukedom in 2014 following the death of his father at the age of 88, who was the 11th Duke of Marlborough. Until his father’s death, he held the title Marquess of Blandford and was known as Jamie Blandford. The alleged victim has not been identified, and as the legal proceedings are ongoing, no further details have been released about the circumstances surrounding the alleged offenses.
His name is closely linked to Blenheim Palace, the more than 300-year-old Baroque estate where Winston Churchill was born and which has 187 rooms. Although it historically belonged to his family, it is no longer owned by Charles James Spencer Churchill. The property was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site during his father’s tenure, who went to court in 1994 to prevent his son from inheriting the vast estate.
I think every family has its black sheep, and that is nothing new, the aristocrat’s father once said when referring to his son. The remark referred to the criminal past of Lady Di's distant cousin. In the 1990s, he was convicted of forging medical prescriptions, which led to a short prison sentence. More than a decade later, in 2007, he was sentenced to several months in jail for reckless driving and also had his driving license revoked. Although the duke had tried to rebuild his image in recent years, including his election as a councillor on Woodstock Town Council in 2021, this new accusation has thrust him back into the spotlight.
In fact, the foundation has issued a statement distancing itself from the new accusations against the aristocrat. The foundation cannot comment on charges related to the duke’s personal conduct and private life, which are subject to criminal proceedings. The foundation is neither owned nor managed by the Duke of Marlborough but by independent entities run by boards of directors.
The case matters not just because of the name involved, but because it raises serious allegations that will now be tested in court, with public scrutiny likely to follow every step of the process.