Princess Diana’s Relative, the Duke of Marlborough, Denies Strangling His Wife 3 Times

A distant relative of the late Princess Diana has denied allegations that he strangled his estranged wife on three separate occasions.

On Jan. 5, Charles James Spencer-Churchill appeared at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court, where he entered not guilty pleas to three counts of intentional strangulation alleged to have taken place between November 2022 and January 2024, The Guardian reported.

Spencer-Churchill, 70, is the Duke of Marlborough and is related to Princess Diana through the Spencer family line. He is also a first cousin, three times removed, of former British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.

During the hearing, the Duke of Marlborough gave his address as Blenheim Palace, the family’s ancestral estate in Woodstock and the birthplace of Winston Churchill. He confirmed that he would contest all charges.

According to the BBC, prosecutors allege that on Nov. 13, 2022, Spencer-Churchill struck his wife, Edla Marlborough, multiple times before placing his hands around her neck. The incident is said to have followed an argument in the garden of their home.

A second alleged incident took place on April 23, 2023, when Spencer-Churchill is accused of grabbing Edla by the hair, punching her, and again seizing her by the neck after she ran into a laundry room.

The third charge relates to an alleged incident on Jan. 29, 2024, in which he is accused of grabbing her tightly around the neck and throwing her onto a bed.

The court heard that Spencer-Churchill denies all three allegations of intentional strangulation. He was granted bail and is scheduled to appear at Oxford Crown Court on Feb. 5, the BBC reported.

Spencer-Churchill married Welsh ceramicist Edla Griffiths, his second wife, in 2002, according to Sky News. The couple have two children: Lady Araminta Spencer-Churchill, 18, and Lord Caspar Spencer-Churchill, 16.

He became the 12th Duke of Marlborough following his father’s death in 2014 and is known within his family as Jamie, a nickname linked to his former title, Marquess of Blandford.

Sky News also reported that the couple separated in 2024.

Police confirmed in December 2025 that Spencer-Churchill was formally charged with three counts of intentional strangulation following an investigation into alleged incidents spanning approximately 18 months. The charges followed his arrest in May 2024.