Editing Blenheim Palace (section)

=== Second World War ===
The coming-out party held for the 17 year-old [[John_Spencer-Churchill,_10th_Duke_of_Marlborough#Personal_life|Lady Sarah Consuelo Spencer-Churchill]] at Blenheim Palace on 7 July 1939 was considered to be the highlight of the [[Social season (United Kingdom)|social season]], and in hindsight has been styled by some as "the last season ever".<ref>Anne de Courcy. ''1939: The Last Season'' (1989)</ref> There were over 700 guests, including [[Winston Churchill]], [[Anthony Eden]] and the young [[John F. Kennedy]],<ref>Nicholas Shakespeare. ''Ian Fleming: The Complete Man'' (2023). pp. 200–201</ref> the house and gardens were lit up and visible for miles, and the [[Ambrose (bandleader)|Ambrose]] band played in a pavilion as the guests danced on the vast lawn into the early morning.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/29/books/chapters/0429-1st-olso.html|title='Troublesome Young Men'|first=Lynne|last=Olson|work=The New York Times |date=29 April 2007|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> Socialite [[Henry Channon|Henry (Chips) Channon]] noted in his diary: “I have seen much, travelled far and am accustomed to splendour, but there has never been anything like tonight”.<ref>Henry (Chips) Cannon, ed. Simon Heffer. ''The Diaries 1939–42'' (2021), p. 594, 1039, 7/7/1939</ref>

During the war the 10th Duke welcomed the boys from Malvern College as evacuees. In September 1940, the [[MI5|Security Service]] (MI5) was allowed to use the palace as its base until the end of the war.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mi5.gov.uk/mi5-in-world-war-ii|title=MI5 In World War II – MI5 – The Security Service|website=www.mi5.gov.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Andrew|first=Christopher|title=The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5|page=[https://archive.org/details/defenceofrealmau0000andr/page/217 217]|publisher=Allen Lane|year=2009|isbn=978-0-713-99885-6|url=https://archive.org/details/defenceofrealmau0000andr/page/217}}</ref>