The Duke of Marlborough, Charles James Spencer-Churchill, has been charged with controlling or coercive behaviour towards his estranged wife, Edla Marlborough. The charge was added to existing allegations of intentional strangulation, which he has already indicated not guilty pleas to.
The 12th Duke appeared at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday, where an indictment revealed two counts of controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship between 29 December 2015 and 8 September 2024. He was not asked to enter pleas to any of the five charges and was granted conditional bail, with a provisional trial date set for 10 January 2028.
The three strangulation charges relate to incidents in November 2022, April 2023, and January 2024. In the first, he is accused of striking Ms Marlborough and putting his hands around her neck after an argument in the garden. The second alleges he grabbed her, hit her, and strangled her in a laundry room. The third claims he pushed her onto a bed and assaulted her after putting his hands tightly around her neck.
Spencer-Churchill, known as Jamie, is a relative of Sir Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales. He married Edla Griffiths, a Welsh ceramicist, in 2002, and they have two children. The couple separated in 2024. The duke's ancestral home is Blenheim Palace, though he does not own or manage it.
