The Duke of Marlborough has been accused of controlling or coercive behaviour towards his wife of over nine years.
Charles James Spencer-Churchill, 70, did not enter pleas when he appeared at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday.
The 70-year-old, who is a relative of Sir Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales, also faces three charges of strangulation.
During a hearing last month, he indicated not guilty pleas to the three charges of strangulation of Edla, Duchess of Marlborough.
He now faces two charges of controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship towards his 57-year-old wife between December 2015 and September 2024.
Judge Ian Pringle granted him conditional bail with a provisional trial date of January 2028.
The duke gave his address to the court as Blenheim Palace.
He is accused of striking his wife several times during an argument in the garden of their home, before putting his hands around her neck in November 2022.
Judge Ian Pringle granted him conditional bail with a provisional trial date of January 2028
|
GETTYDuring another confrontation, the duchess ran into a laundry room before the duke is alleged to have grabbed her, hit her with a closed fist and attempted to strangle her in April 2023.
The final allegation is that the duke pushed his wife onto a bed before assaulting her and putting his hands tightly around her neck in January 2024.
Spencer-Churchill, known to his family as Jamie, is the 12th Duke of Marlborough.
He married his second wife in 2002 and they have two children, Lady Araminta, 18, and Lord Caspar, 17. The couple separated in 2024.
The Duke of Marlborough is a relative of Sir Winston Churchill
|
Getty ImagesEdla became the Duchess of Marlborough when Spencer-Churchill took up his dukedom in 2014.
The duke does not own Blenheim Palace and has no role in running its operations.
The site is a popular visitor attraction with parklands designed by “Capability” Brown. It is also a Unesco World Heritage Site.
The Oxfordshire estate is owned and managed by the Blenheim Palace Heritage Foundation.
The foundation has said: “Blenheim Palace Heritage Foundation is aware legal proceedings have been brought against the Duke of Marlborough.
“The foundation is unable to comment on the charges, which relate to the duke’s personal conduct and private life, and which are subject to live, criminal proceedings.
“The foundation is not owned or managed by the Duke of Marlborough, but by independent entities run by boards of trustees.”