James Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough

His Grace The Duke of Marlborough
1989 portrait by Allan Warren
Preceded by	The 11th Duke of Marlborough
Personal details
Born	Charles James Spencer-Churchill (1955-11-24) 24 November 1955 Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
Nationality	British
Spouse(s)	Rebecca Few Brown (m. 1990; div. 1998) Edla Griffiths (m. 2002)
Children	George, Marquess of Blandford Lady Araminta Spencer-Churchill Lord Caspar Spencer-Churchill
Parents	The 11th Duke of Marlborough Susan Mary Hornby
Residence	Blenheim Palace

Charles James Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough (born 24 November 1955), styled the Marquess of Blandford until 2014 and often known as Jamie Blandford or Jamie Marlborough, is a British aristocrat, peer, and the current Duke of Marlborough.

He is the eldest surviving son of The 11th Duke of Marlborough and his first wife, Susan Mary Hornby. As a member of the Spencer family, he is a distant relative of the war-time Conservative Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill (the first cousin of his great-grandfather The 9th Duke of Marlborough). He is also a stepbrother of Christina Onassis by the second marriage of his father with Athina Livanos.

Biography

Born in Oxford,^[1] Marlborough was educated at Harrow School^[2] and the Royal Agricultural College.^[3] In a bid to safeguard the Blenheim Palace estate from the then Marquess's excessive behaviour, his father won a court battle in 1994 to ensure he never won control of the family seat, but their relationship may have improved later.^[4]

In 1995, he spent a month in prison for forging prescriptions.^[5] In September 2007, he was sentenced to six months in jail on two counts of dangerous driving and one of criminal damage following a "road rage" attack on another motorist's car.^[6] At the same time, he was banned from driving for three and a half years.^[7]

Inheritance

On the death of his father in 2014, the Daily Mail reported that he would inherit the title and quoted a spokeswoman for Blenheim Palace, who said "it was 'too early to say' if he will chose (sic) to live in the palace, which is open to the public." The newspaper also noted that, "Though Jamie is now in overall charge of the estate, perhaps mindful of his son's troubled history, the late Duke had insisted the board of trustees should have this power of veto".^[8]

However, the Oxford Mail reported that "A palace spokesman declined to comment on whether the 12th Duke – who had a well-publicised drug addiction – [would] inherit his family's residence, but it is understood he could become a trustee of the companies that run it." The Oxford Mail further stated that "[Blenheim] Palace will remain under the control of trustees as the late Duke of Marlborough's heir – Jamie Spencer-Churchill – inherited his father's title."^[9] On the other hand, The Daily Telegraph reported that "The responsibility of maintaining one of Britain's grandest country houses for future generations now passes to 58-year-old Jamie Blandford, as he is commonly known, following a remarkable turnaround in his relationship with his late father, who once described him as the 'black sheep' of his family."^[10]

Television appearance

On 24 June 2009, he appeared in a BBC Television documentary, Famous, Rich and Homeless, in which famous people were filmed spending three nights in the open with nothing but a sleeping bag, though he refused to "sleep rough". He claimed that on the first night he slept in the car park of a five-star hotel, though his sleeping bag was discovered unopened, and on the second night he demanded to be housed in a hotel. He refused to participate further despite giving an assurance that he would sleep rough on the third night, and ended his participation on that night. Another participant, Hardeep Singh Kohli, said that Blandford's behaviour was "disrespectful to all the people out there".^[11]

Marriages and issue

His first wife was Rebecca Mary Few Brown (born September 1957, Bangor, Wales). They were married on 24 February 1990 at the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Woodstock. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1998. They had one son, who is now heir apparent to the Dukedom of Marlborough:

• George John Godolphin Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford (born 28 July 1992), who went by the courtesy title Earl of Sunderland until his father's accession to the dukedom in 2014

His second wife is Edla Griffiths (born 1968, Abergavenny, Wales), whom he married at Woodstock Register Office on 1 March 2002. They have two children:

• Lady Araminta Clementine Megan Spencer-Churchill (born 8 April 2007)
• Lord Caspar Sasha Ivor Spencer-Churchill (born 18 October 2008)

Lord Caspar Spencer-Churchill is second in the line of succession to the Dukedom of Marlborough.

Titles and styles

• 24 November 1955 – 11 March 1972: Earl of Sunderland
• 11 March 1972 – 16 October 2014: Marquess of Blandford
• 16 October 2014 – present: His Grace The Duke of Marlborough

Arms

Coat of arms of James Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough

Adopted 1817 by the 5th Duke of Marlborough Coronet The coronet of a Duke Crest 1st: a lion couchant guardant Argent supporting a banner Gules charged with a dexter hand couped Argent (Churchill) 2nd: out of a ducal coronet Or a griffin's head between two wings expanded Argent gorged with a collar gemel and armed Gules (Spencer) Escutcheon Quarterly: 1 and 4th, Sable a lion rampant Argent, on a canton of the second a cross Gules (Churchill); 2 and 3rd, quarterly Argent and Gules a fret Or, over all on a bend Sable three Escallops of the first (Spencer); over all in the centre chief point (as an augmentation of honour) an escutcheon Argent charged with the cross of Saint George surmounted by an inescutcheon Azure charged with three fleurs-de-lys Or, two over one Supporters On either side, a wyvern wings elevated Gules and behind, the Imperial eagle of the Holy Roman Empire Motto FIEL PERO DESDICHADO (Spanish for "FAITHFUL, THOUGH UNFORTUNATE")

Ancestry

References