A British aristocrat related to Princess Diana and World War II premier Winston Churchill is facing charges of strangling his estranged wife, court documents showed Thursday.
The Duke of Marlborough, 70, had been summoned to appear at Oxford Magistrates Court in central England on three charges of non-fatal intentional strangulation against his second wife Edla Marlborough between November 2022 and May 2024.
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But judge Kamlesh Rana was told he was “unable to attend” Thursday’s hearing, and the case is due to be relisted for January 5.
Charles Spencer-Churchill, known as Jamie, is a member of one of Britain’s most aristocratic families.
Winston Churchill, the duke’s first cousin three times removed, was born at Blenheim Palace, the ancestral home of the dukes of Marlborough.
Princess Diana was also related to him through her paternal Spencer family.
In the past, Spencer-Churchill has had a well-publicised battle with drug addiction.
According to court documents, the alleged offences took place in Woodstock in Oxfordshire.
King Charles III hosted European leaders and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky at Blenheim in 2024.
Spencer-Churchill inherited his dukedom in 2014 following the death of his father, but he does not own the 18th-century baroque palace, which is run by trustees and attracts thousands of visitors each year.
AFP