Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on December 18, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 20, 2026
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The Duke of Marlborough's court hearing for intentional strangulation charges has been adjourned. A new date is pending confirmation.
LONDON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - The court hearing for Britain's Duke of Marlborough, who has been charged with three counts of intentional strangulation, has been adjourned, British police said on Thursday.
Charles James Spencer-Churchill, 70, a distant relative of Winston Churchill, had been due to appear at Oxford Magistrates' Court on Thursday. The new date has yet to be confirmed, Thames Valley police said.
He was arrested in May last year over the alleged offences which took place in November 2022, and in January and May 2024 in Woodstock, near Oxford, in central England.
Spencer-Churchill, who is known as Jamie Blandford, is the 12th Duke of Marlborough, one of Britain's most senior aristocratic families and whose ancestral home is Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, which played host to U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018.
(Reporting by Mike Holden and Sarah Young; Editing by Kate Holton)
Intentional strangulation refers to the act of deliberately restricting someone's airflow, which can lead to serious injury or death. It is considered a criminal offense in many jurisdictions.
A court hearing is a legal proceeding where parties present evidence and arguments before a judge. It can involve various legal matters, including criminal charges, civil disputes, and family law issues.
A Duke is a noble rank in the British peerage system, typically ranking just below a prince. Dukes often hold significant land and titles and are part of the aristocracy.
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