George Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford
George Spencer-Churchill | |
---|---|
Marquess of Blandford | |
Full name | George John Godolphin Spencer-Churchill |
Born | London, England | 28 July 1992
Spouse(s) |
Camilla Thorp (m. 2018) |
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 Argentinean 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.
Early life and family
He is the son of Jamie Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough and his first wife, Rebecca Mary Few Brown.[3] Lord Blandford is a distant relative of the wartime prime minister Winston Churchill (first cousin of his great-great-grandfather) and of Diana, Princess of Wales (his 4th cousin once removed). 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 on 2,000 acres in Oxfordshire.[7][8]
Education and subsequent activities
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 urbanisation.[10] In March 2015, he started working as an aviation broker at JLT Group in London.[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.
In December 2018 he successfully rowed across the Atlantic in a time of 35 days finishing second place in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. Subsequently, he set a Guinness world record for the fastest all related team of 4 to cross the Atlantic from east to west. He raised over £850,000 for the children's charity starlight in the process.
Marriage
Lord Blandford married Camilla Elizabeth Antonia Thorp (now styled as Marchioness of Blandford), a descendant of the Tempest baronets of Tong, Yorkshire,[14] on 8 September 2018 at St Mary Magdalene Church, Woodstock.[15]
Attendees of the wedding included Lady Violet Manners, Lord and Lady Bamford, Andrew Parker-Bowles, and Lord Milford Haven. In 2020 they announced that they're expecting their first child.
References
- ^ "Prince Harry second best to Churchill's nephew in polo battle of most eligible bachelors". Daily Express. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ^ "La Martina Polo Ambassadors". La Martina. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ^ "The 12th Duke of Marlborough". Tatler. 3 March 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ^ "Churchill descendant rows Atlantic". 17 January 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
- ^ "Duke's Suit Seeks To Divide A Son, Fortune". Chicago Tribune. 2 August 1993. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ^ "Blandford sent back to prison over road-rage attack on driver". The Independent. 10 September 2007. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ^ "Magnificent Obsession". Vanity Fair. June 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ^ Roy, Amit (13 August 2007). "Empire strikes back at 'racist' aristocrat". The India Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ^ "Interview with George Spencer Churchill". POLO+10. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ^ "The Aristocrats, Channel 4: 'You don't want to be the one who screws up'". The Telegraph. 22 November 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ^ "George Blandford profile". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
- ^ "Ambassadors of Polo". La Martina. Archived from the original on 7 February 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ^ "St. James Collection". La Martina. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ^ Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 2003, vol. 1, p. 1152
- ^ Announcement, The Telegraph.