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Man charged with making off without paying bill at five-star London hotel
(4 days later)
A 33-year-old man has been charged with theft after he allegedly posed as the Duke of Marlborough and racked up a bill for more than £1,800 at a luxury London hotel. Alexander Christopher Wood, 33, of Southend-on-Sea, was charged on Thursday after staying at the Great Northern hotel in King’s Cross.
A 33-year-old man has been charged after a dispute over a bill at a five-star London hotel.
Wood is alleged to have booked in for four nights at the hotel under the name of the Duke of Marlborough, according to a report by the Camden New Journal. He allegedly signed in as Lord Jamie Spencer but was detained by staff when he attempted to leave the building. He has been bailed to attend Highbury magistrates court on 26 June.
Alexander Christopher Wood, 33, of Southend-on-Sea, was charged on Thursday after police were called by staff at the Great Northern hotel in King’s Cross.
The actual Duke of Marlborough, Charles James Spencer-Churchill, 59, is known as Jamie Blandford. He inherited his title as the 12th duke in 2014 after the death of his father. Blandford is a distant relative of wartime prime minister Winston Churchill and his family’s historic residence is Blenheim Palace. Described by Tatler as “arrogant, wild and irrepressibly mischievous”, Blandford has had several run-ins of his own with police.
He has been bailed to attend Highbury magistrates court on 26 June, charged with making off without payment.
In an email to the Guardian, Wood denied an earlier report that he had posed as the Duke of Marlborough, and said the amount of money in dispute was £145.60.
• This article was published on 1 June to replace a version that Wood denies.
