Duke of Marlborough charged with strangulation offences
The 70-year-old has been summonsed to appear at Oxford Magistrates' Court on Thursday, following his arrest in May last year.
Thursday 18 December 2025 01:50, UK
The Duke of Marlborough has been charged with intentional strangulation.
Charles James Spencer-Churchill, a relative of Sir Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales, is accused of three offences between November 2022 and May 2024, Thames Valley Police said.
The 70-year-old has been summonsed to appear at Oxford Magistrates' Court on Thursday, following his arrest in May last year.
The three charges of non-fatal intentional strangulation are alleged to have taken place in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, against the same person.
Spencer-Churchill is the 12th Duke of Marlborough and a member of one of Britain's most aristocratic families.
He inherited his dukedom in 2014, following the death of his father, the 11th Duke of Marlborough.
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Prior to this, Spencer-Churchill was the Marquess of Blandford, and also known as Jamie Blandford.
His ancestral family home is Sir Winston's birthplace, the 300-year-old Blenheim Palace in Woodstock.
But the duke does not own the 18th-century baroque palace - and has no role in the running of the residence and vast estate.
The duke's representatives have been approached for comment.