Marquess of Blandford | |
---|---|
Full name | George John Godolphin Spencer-Churchill |
Born | London, England | 28 July 1992
Spouse(s) | Camilla Thorp (m. 2018) |
Issue | Lady Olympia Spencer-Churchill |
Father | James Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough |
Mother | Rebecca Few Brown |
George John Godolphin Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford (born 28 July 1992), styled as Earl of Sunderland until 2014, is a British aristocrat and polo player. He is a model and brand ambassador for La Martina, an Argentine polo clothing and accessories company. [1] [2] As the heir apparent to the Dukedom of Marlborough, he uses the courtesy title of Marquess of Blandford.
He is the son of Jamie Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough and his first wife, Rebecca Mary Few Brown. [3] He is also a descendant of Consuelo Vanderbilt (first wife of the 9th Duke of Marlborough). [4]
He and his family are notable for being involved in a high-profile legal dispute around 1993, when his paternal grandfather (the 11th Duke of Marlborough) sought to disinherit Lord Blandford's father. [5] Since his father has had a controversial past, including serving time in jail for forging prescriptions and road rage, Lord Blandford was announced as the financial beneficiary of his grandfather's estate. [6] His inheritance was to include Blenheim Palace, a 187-room mansion set in 2,000 acres in Oxfordshire. [7] [8]
He was educated at Harrow School, where he was captain of the school's polo team. [9] From 2011 to 2014, he attended University College London, where he studied town planning. [10]
In 2015, he started working as an aviation broker at JLT Group in London. [11] In 2019, he became a broker at the London office of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., an American insurance brokerage. [11]
He began serving as a model and brand ambassador for the La Martina brand of polo clothes and accessories in 2015. [12] [13] His "Blenheim Polo Team" plays at Cirencester Park Polo Club in Gloucestershire.
From December 2018 to January 2019, he and three friends successfully rowed across the Atlantic Ocean in a time of 35 days, finishing second in the 2018 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. [14] [15] He helped raise over £850,000 for the Starlight children's charity in the process.
Lord Blandford married on 8 September 2018 at St Mary Magdalene Church, Woodstock, [16] Camilla Elizabeth Antonia Thorp [16] (b. 7 April 1987), now styled as Marchioness of Blandford. She is the eldest daughter of architect James Nicholas Thorp and interior designer Philippa Clare Thorp (née Thomas), of Drayton House, East Meon, Hampshire, and a descendant of the baronets Tempest of Tong, Yorkshire. [17] Attendees of the wedding included Lady Violet Manners, Lord and Lady Bamford, Andrew Parker-Bowles, and Lord Milford Haven. They have a daughter, Lady Olympia Arabella Kitty Spencer-Churchill (born 10 September 2020). [18]
Duke of Marlborough is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by Queen Anne in 1702 for John Churchill, 1st Earl of Marlborough (1650–1722), the noted military leader. In historical texts, unqualified use of the title typically refers to the 1st Duke. The name of the dukedom refers to Marlborough in Wiltshire.
Blenheim Palace is a country house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough. Originally called Blenheim Castle, it has been known as Blenheim Palace since the 19th century. One of England's largest houses, it was built between 1705 and 1722, and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
Consuelo Vanderbilt-Balsan was an American socialite and member of the Vanderbilt family. Her first marriage to the 9th Duke of Marlborough has become a well-known example of the advantageous, but loveless marriages common during the Gilded Age. The Duke obtained a large dowry through the marriage and reportedly told her just after the wedding that he married her in order to "save Blenheim Palace", his ancestral home.
Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough,, styled Earl of Sunderland until 1883 and Marquess of Blandford between 1883 and 1892, was a British soldier and Conservative politician, and a close friend of his first cousin Winston Churchill. He was often known as "Sunny" Marlborough after his courtesy title of Earl of Sunderland.
John Winston Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough,, styled Earl of Sunderland from 1822 to 1840 and Marquess of Blandford from 1840 to 1857, was a British Conservative cabinet minister, politician, peer, and nobleman. He was the paternal grandfather of Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.
John George Vanderbilt Henry Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough, was a British peer. He was the elder son of the 10th Duke of Marlborough and his wife, the Hon. Alexandra Mary Hilda Cadogan. He was known as "Sunny" after his courtesy title of Earl of Sunderland.
George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough,, styled Marquess of Blandford until 1758, was a British courtier, nobleman, and politician from the Spencer family. He served as Lord Chamberlain between 1762 and 1763 and as Lord Privy Seal between 1763 and 1765. He is the great-great-great grandfather of Sir Winston Churchill.
John Albert Edward William Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough,, styled Marquess of Blandford until 1934, was a British military officer and peer.
Charles James Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough, 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.
George Spencer-Churchill, 5th Duke of Marlborough FSA, styled Marquess of Blandford until 1817, was a British nobleman, politician, peer, and collector of antiquities and books.
George Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of Marlborough, styled Earl of Sunderland until 1817 and Marquess of Blandford between 1817 and 1840, was a British nobleman, politician, and peer. The great-grandfather of Sir Winston Churchill, he served as Lord-Lieutenant of Oxfordshire between 1842 and 1857.
George Charles Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough, DL, styled Earl of Sunderland until 1857 and Marquess of Blandford between 1857 and 1883, was a British peer.
John Spencer was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1732 to 1746.
Albertha Frances Anne Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, VA was an English aristocrat.
Frances Anne Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, VA was an English noblewoman, the wife of British peer and statesman John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough. One of her sons, Lord Randolph Churchill, was the father of Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. She had a total of 11 children, and her principal home was the monumental Blenheim Palace, which she rejuvenated with her "lavish and exciting entertainments", and transformed into a "social and political focus for the life of the nation". She was invested as a Lady of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert for her efforts at famine relief in Ireland.
Lord Alan Spencer-Churchill DL was a British aristocrat, officer in the British Army, deputy lieutenant of Oxfordshire, a lieutenant in the Oxfordshire Yeomanry and a businessman. He was a great uncle of Sir Winston Churchill.
Susan Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, formerly Lady Susan Stewart, was the wife of George Spencer-Churchill, 5th Duke of Marlborough.
Caroline Spencer, Duchess of Marlborough, formerly Lady Caroline Russell, was the wife of George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough.
Jane Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, formerly Lady Jane Stewart, was the first wife of George Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of Marlborough.
Lady Rosemary Mildred Muir is an English aristocrat who served as a maid of honour to Elizabeth II at her coronation in 1953.