The Marquess of Blandford had five hours of surgery after being badly hurt in a car crash.

The 44-year-old son of the Duke of Marlborough suffered serious facial and chest injuries in the accident at Kiddington, near Woodstock, on Wednesday evening.

The Marquess - known to friends as Jamie and whose life has been plagued by drug addiction prison - is thought to have smashed his head into the side window of his Toyota LandCruiser when it was in collision with another vehicle. A spokesman at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital said: "He is in a poorly but stable condition and is expected to remain here for at least a few days." His mother, Susan Gough, 70, said: "His face was bashed up in the crash. He's all right. He cannot talk because of the injuries to his face, so I haven't spoken to him."

A 35-year-old Chipping Norton woman, who was driving the other car, was treated at the same hospital and discharged.

*A warrant for the Marquess's arrest, relating to theft charges, was issued by Westminster magistrates, but was later withdrawn.

Story date: Friday 10 December

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.