Duke of Marlborough denies strangling estranged wife

The Duke of Marlborough has denied strangling his estranged wife.

Charles James Spencer-Churchill, formerly known as Jamie Blandford, is accused of assaulting Edla Marlborough in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, three times over an 18-month period.

The 70-year-old man appeared at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court where he pleaded not guilty to three charges of strangulation with intent.

He was bailed to appear at Oxford Crown Court on February 5.

The attacks allegedly took place between November 2022 and May 2024.

The twice-married aristocrat, formerly known as the Marquess of Blandford, married his second wife, Welsh ceramist Edla Griffiths, in 2002.

They are said to have met while living in Chelsea and working on her art, and married after dating for seven years.

The couple is thought to have separated in 2024.

He inherited the dukedom in 2014 following the death of his father, the 11th Duke of Marlborough.

He is a thrice-removed first cousin of Sir Winston Churchill and a distant relative of the late Princess Diana through the Spencer family.

His ancestral family home is Blenheim Palace in Woodstock (Sir Winston’s birthplace), which is owned and managed by the Blenheim Palace Heritage Trust.

In a previous statement, the foundation said it was “unable to comment on the Duke’s personal conduct and allegations that relate to his private life and are the subject of live criminal proceedings.”

The statement added: “The Foundation is not owned or managed by the Duke of Marlborough, but is managed by independent bodies governed by trustees.”