George Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford

Marquess of Blandford
Full name
George John Godolphin Spencer-Churchill
Born (1992-07-28) 28 July 1992 (age 32)
London, England
Spouse(s)
Camilla Thorp
​
(m. 2018)​
IssueLady Olympia Spencer-Churchill
Lady Leonora Spencer-Churchill
FatherJames Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough
MotherRebecca 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.

Early life and family

He is the son of James 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 road rage and forging prescriptions, 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]

Education and career

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]

Other activities

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.

Marriage and issue

Lord Blandford married on 8 September 2018 at St Mary Magdalene Church, Woodstock,[16] to 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 two daughters, Lady Olympia Arabella Kitty Spencer-Churchill (born 10 September 2020)[18] and Lady Leonora Eliza Cressida Spencer-Churchill (born 7 December 2024).[19]

References

  1. ^ "Prince Harry second best to Churchill's nephew in polo battle of most eligible bachelors". Daily Express. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  2. ^ "La Martina Polo Ambassadors". La Martina. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  3. ^ "The 12th Duke of Marlborough". Tatler. 3 March 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  4. ^ "Churchill descendant rows Atlantic". 17 January 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Duke's Suit Seeks To Divide A Son, Fortune". Chicago Tribune. 2 August 1993. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  6. ^ "Blandford sent back to prison over road-rage attack on driver". The Independent. 10 September 2007. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  7. ^ "Magnificent Obsession". Vanity Fair. June 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "Interview with George Spencer Churchill". POLO+10. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  10. ^ "The Aristocrats, Channel 4: 'You don't want to be the one who screws up'". The Telegraph. 22 November 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  11. ^ a b "George Blandford profile". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  12. ^ "Ambassadors of Polo". La Martina. Archived from the original on 7 February 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  13. ^ "St. James Collection". La Martina. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  14. ^ "Churchill descendant rows Atlantic". BBC News. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  15. ^ "Le fils du duc de Marlborough entre dans le Livre Guinness des records". histoiresroyales.fr. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  16. ^ a b Announcement, The Telegraph.
  17. ^ Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 2003, vol. 1, p. 1152.
  18. ^ "Marquess of Blandford's Instagram". Instagram.
  19. ^ Rhodes, Michael (10 December 2024). "Lady Leonora Eliza Cressida Spencer-Churchill (born 7 Dec 2024)". PeerageNews.