Duke of Marlborough Pleads Not Guilty to Strangulation Charges

Charles James Spencer-Churchill, the 12th Duke of Marlborough, pleaded not guilty on Monday to three counts of intentional strangulation involving his estranged wife, Edla Marlborough. The 70-year-old aristocrat appeared at High Wycombe Magistrates Court in Buckinghamshire, facing charges related to alleged incidents in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, between November 2022 and January 2024. He was granted conditional bail and is scheduled to appear next at Oxford Crown Court on February 5.

Prosecutors outlined the allegations during the hearing. The first incident reportedly occurred on November 13, 2022, when Spencer-Churchill is accused of striking Ms. Marlborough several times and strangling her following an argument in the garden of their property. The second charge stems from April 23, 2023, when authorities say he grabbed her in a laundry room, hit her with a closed fist and strangled her. The third allegation involves an event on January 29, 2024, in which he is said to have placed his hands around her neck before throwing her onto a bed. Spencer-Churchill, dressed in a dark suit and blue tie, confirmed his details in court and entered not guilty pleas to all counts. He was...