Charles James Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough (born 24 November 1955), styled Earl of Sunderland until March 1972 and Marquess of Blandford until October 2014, and often known as Jamie Blandford or Jamie Marlborough, is a British 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 relative of the war-time Conservative Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill (his first cousin, three times removed) and of Diana, Princess of Wales. He is also a descendant of the prominent American Vanderbilt family through his great-grandmother Consuelo Vanderbilt.
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Life
Born in Oxford, Marlborough was educated at Harrow and the Royal Agricultural College.
As Marquess of Blandford, he led a playboy life. Tatler reported that in the 1990s, the Happy Mondays lead singer Shaun Ryder remarked "If I was born into dough, I'd have done nothing forever. Like Jamie Blandford. He's fuckin' cool. I'd definitely produce his record."
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 his son never won control of the family seat, but their relationship may have improved later.