Duke’s sister blushes over Blenheim’s ancient loos
THE birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, Blenheim Palace is so impressive that it was chosen as the venue of a lavish banquet when Donald Trump visited Britain as U.S. President.
Yet, astonishingly, a member of the family who owns the 187-room stately home has revealed it has become a source of embarrassment when Americans are invited to stay.
The Duke of Marlborough’s younger sister, Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, has spoken of her sense of shame when visitors from across the Atlantic turn up their noses up at their outdated lodgings.
‘On the private side, which is the East Wing, it’s always been lived in as a family home,’ says Lady Henrietta, founder of interior design company Woodstock Designs.
‘One thing I always find embarrassing is not having en suite bathrooms or even shower rooms.
‘Blenheim was not built to install plumbing. A lot of the floors and walls are solid — you can’t just plonk a bathroom somewhere. You’ve got to think about drain-runs and where everything goes.
‘So some people, especially the Americans, are horrified that they don’t get a bathroom en suite and they don’t have a power-shower.’
President Trump and his wife, Melania, visited the Palace on the first day of their British visit in 2018 and were welcomed by the then Prime Minister, Theresa May, for a 150-guest black-tie dinner — though they did not stay overnight. Sprawling over seven acres, the Grade I-Listed property — designed by John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor in the early 18th century — is one of England’s largest houses and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
Lady Henrietta, 62, author of Blenheim and the Churchill Family, made the comments on the Duchess of Rutland’s new podcast this week.
She adds of improvements at Blenheim: ‘We do things as and when we can. Although the rooms are large, they are cosy and very welcoming.
‘They’re not perfect by any means. They’re quite shabby-chic, a lot of the bedrooms, because we don’t have the spare money to spend on doing them up.’