A London townhouse belonging to the Dowager Duchess of Marlborough is on the market for £18million.
Lily Spencer-Churchill lived at the Belgravia property before her wedding to the late John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough, in December 2008.
After the wedding, the couple lived at the family seat of Blenheim Palace, which boasts 187 rooms and is situated in 2,000 acres of Oxfordshire countryside.
The Duke’s son James Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough, a reformed drug addict and ex-convict, inherited the title on his father’s death in 2014.
Although it is not quite as grand as Blenheim Palace, the townhouse on the leafy Eaton Place offers luxurious accommodation in the heart of London. It is listed with Beauchamp Estates.
Late husband: Lily Spencer-Churchill, now the Dowager Duchess of Marlborough, lived at the Belgravia property before her wedding to the Duke, known affectionately as ‘Sunny’, in December 2008. Pictured, the couple together at Blenheim Palace
Elegant living space: Set across five floors, the property offers 6,250 sq ft of living space, including nine bedrooms, a family kitchen with mezzanine pantry, two kitchenettes, two gardens and a private covered terrace. Pictured, a living space
Clever use of space: The split-level kitchenette, pictured, has a customised pantry on the mezzanine level
Intimate dining: A table beside a sunny window is the perfect place for more casual dining at the townhouse
Heart of London: The townhouse is situated on Eaton Place, which was built by master builder Thomas Cubitt in 1826
Who was Lily’s late husband John ‘Sunny’ Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough?
Late Duke: John ‘Sunny’ Spencer-Churchill, Lily’s late husband, who died in October 2014 at the age of 88
The 11th Duke of Marlborough was born on 13 April 1926, the elder son of the tenth Duke of Marlborough by his first wife, Mary Cadogan. Winston Churchill, the then Chancellor, was his father’s cousin and agreed to become his godfather.
He was distantly related to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, through the Spencer family, and to the Vanderbilt dynasty via his grandfather, the ninth duke, who was said to have married Consuelo Vanderbilt purely for her cash.
In 1951 he married for the first time, wedding WHSmith heiress Susan Hornby, and they went on to have three children, the eldest of whom, John Spencer-Churchill, died at the age of two. Charles James Spencer-Churchill was born in 1955, followed by Henrietta Mary Spencer-Churchill three years later.
The couple divorced ten years later, leaving the Duke free to marry Athina Onassis, ex-wife of Greek shipping tycoon, Aristotle Onassis.
Like his first, this second marriage lasted ten years, after which she left him for her sister’s former husband, Stavros Niarchos.
In 1972, he married Rosita Douglas-Stjernorp, daughter of a Swedish count, and had three more children.
Lord Richard Spencer-Churchill was born in 1973 but died four months later. Lord Edward Albert Charles Spencer-Churchill was born in 1974, and in 1977 Lady Alexandra Elizabeth Spencer-Churchill was born.
The Duke married his fourth wife, Lily Mahtani, in 2008 at Blenheim Palace.
The Duke’s oldest surviving son Jamie Blandford, who is clean after years battling addiction, became the 12th Duke of Marlborough on his death in 2014.
Set across five floors, the property offers 6,250 sq ft of living space, including nine bedrooms, a family kitchen with mezzanine pantry, two kitchenettes, two gardens and a private covered terrace.
On the ground floor is a spacious dining room, with an ornate fireplace and Georgian sash windows overlooking the sought-after street and towards the private rear garden.
The first floor provides a bright lounge which opens onto a dining area and kitchenette, leading out to a large covered private terrace for al fresco dining or entertaining.
The master bedroom occupies the entire second floor, with dual aspect windows and a marble en suite bathroom. The upper floors provide a further four guest bedrooms with a secondary kitchenette.
Plush: The master bedroom occupies the entire second floor, with dual aspect windows and a marble en suite bathroom
Grand but cosy: This beautiful living space is just one of the reception areas in the sprawling five-storey property
Dining al fresco: The first floor provides a bright lounge which opens onto a dining area and kitchenette, leading out to a large covered private terrace for al fresco dining or entertaining, pictured
The lower ground floor offers a further three guest bedrooms which could be used as staff accommodation. There are two separate garden areas, as well as extensive fitted storage space.
Gary Hersham, founding director of Beauchamp Estates commented: ’32 Eaton Place is a wonderful townhouse in the heart of Belgravia. The townhouse provides extensive living space with flexibility if a buyer wanted to use one of the many guest bedrooms as a home study or library for instance. With beautiful original details such as ornate fireplaces preserved throughout, this townhouse is of an exceptional calibre.’
Born Lily Sahni in what is now Iran, the Dowager Duchess of Marlborough is the daughter of a successful Indian businessman who became the trusted lieutenant of the multi-millionaire Indian businessmen, the Hinduja brothers.
In 1987, Lily married Ratan Mahtani, a wealthy Indian expat whose family’s worldwide conglomerate of shipping, banking and property interests is said to be worth billions.
A family home: The property has been in Lily Spencer-Churchill’s family for at least the last 15 years and is now on the market
Well presented: A glimpse of a chic room inside the property (left) and plush armchairs by the fire are a perfect retreat
Well-proportioned rooms: One of the reception rooms in the London townhouse that is on the market for £18million
Bright and airy: The design of the property means sunlight floods in from both sides, bringing warmth to the family home
Guest bedrooms: The upper floors provide a further four guest bedrooms (one pictured) with a secondary kitchenette
Spread out: The lower ground floors provide more bedrooms, which would be ideal for staff. Right, the front door
Introduced to the upper echelons of society by John Bowes-Lyon, a cousin of the Queen Mother, Lily became friends with the Duchess of York and even lent her £100,000 in 1994. Their friendship ended after Lily sued the Duchess for repayment of the loan, which Fergie insisted had been a gift.
Lily’s marriage ended in the late 90s and she met John in Sardinia in 2007. At the time he was still married to his third wife, Rosita.
Blenheim Palace has been home to the 12th Duke of Marlborough — better known in a previous incarnation as Jamie Blandford, the wild marquess — since 2015.
His son George, Marquess of Blandford and heir to the family estate, married Camilla Thorp at the property in 2018. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter, last year.