Charles James Spencer-Churchill, the 12th Duke of Marlborough, has been charged with three counts of intentional strangulation following a series of alleged assaults against the same person over 18 months.

The 70-year-old aristocrat, who is a distant relative of both Sir Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales, is scheduled to appear at Oxford Magistrates' Court on Thursday to face the serious allegations.

The charges relate to three separate incidents that reportedly took place in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. Thames Valley Police said that the offenses occurred between November 2022 and May 2024. Specifically, the attacks are alleged to have happened in November 2022, January 2024, and May 2024.

Authorities arrested Spencer-Churchill on May 13, 2024, following the third alleged incident. After a lengthy investigation by Thames Valley Police, the Crown Prosecution Service authorized the charges of non-fatal intentional strangulation this week, according to Reuters. While police confirmed that the attacks involved the same victim each time, the individual's identity has not been disclosed to the public for legal and privacy reasons.

Spencer-Churchill, often known by his former courtesy title, the Marquess of Blandford, or simply "Jamie Blandford," resides in a farmhouse on the Blenheim Palace estate. The palace itself is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. Despite his title, the Duke does not own or manage the historic estate.

Control of Blenheim Palace was transferred to a board of trustees years ago to protect its future, a decision made by his father, the late 11th Duke, following concerns over Jamie's well-publicized struggles with addiction in his younger years.

In response to the news of the charges, a spokesperson for the Blenheim Palace Heritage Foundation issued a statement distancing the organization from the Duke's personal legal troubles, the BBC reported. The Foundation emphasized that it is an independent entity run by trustees and cannot comment on live criminal proceedings regarding the Duke's private conduct.

The specific offense of intentional strangulation was introduced into UK law under the Domestic Abuse Act of 2021 to recognize the severity of such assaults. It carries a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison if a defendant is found guilty.

As the legal proceedings commence on Thursday, the case has drawn significant media attention due to the defendant's high-profile lineage and the serious nature of the repeated allegations. The court hearing is expected to set the timeline for a future trial where the details of the events in Woodstock will be examined, as per ABC.