Cousin relationships between British monarchs and consorts
The British royalty often married within the same specific class and social group, historically for influence in affairs of state or to ally with a foreign power. As a result, British monarchs and their consorts can be related by blood. The handful of first-cousin marriages was not out of the norm for their time.
== Unknown family relationship ==
After the 11th century, in only two cases (those of the first wife of James II and of Edward VIII) is there no known familial relationship. Neither woman was queen consort (one died before her husband became king, and the other married after he abdicated). Both marriages were considered scandalous for their time. The first wife of James II was the only daughter of a wealthy man, but with no pedigree. The marriage did produce two future sovereign queens. Edward VIII married [[Wallis Simpson]], and cited his desire to marry the twice divorced American woman as the reason for his abdication in 1936.
== First cousin marriages ==
[[Richard III of England|Richard III]] was portrayed by Shakespeare in Act IV, scene III of the play, "Richard III," as planning to [...] his present wife, [[Anne Neville]], and plotting to marry his teenage niece, [[Elizabeth of York]], and stop the [[Wars of the Roses]]. However, this proposed marriage seems to have been a rumour that Shakespeare used to make Richard III seem particularly evil, and there have been no marriages in British royalty closer than ''first cousin''.
[[Image:Portrait of Philip II of Spain by Sofonisba Anguissola - 002b.jpg|thumb|right|100px|[[Philip II of Spain]]]]
[[Image:Queen Victoria 1887.jpg|thumb|right|100px|[[Queen Victoria]]]]
# '''1299:''' The first royal marriage of ''first cousins once removed'' was between [[Edward I of England]] and his second wife [[Margaret of France (died 1318)|Margaret of France]] when Edward was age 60.
# '''1472:''' The second royal marriage of ''first cousins once removed'' was between [[Richard III of England]] and [[Anne Neville]]. The marriage is famously depicted by Shakespeare as one of the most twisted in all of history. Richard III is depicted as wooing Anne after [...] her first husband and her father; and he would ''take her in her heart's extremest hate, with curses in her mouth, tears in her eyes''. This marriage produced one son who died young.
# '''1554:''' The next royal marriage of ''first cousins once removed'' was between [[Mary I of England]], and the [[Philip II of Spain]]. It was one of the most despised relationships in British history. The couple barely saw each other, with Philip spending most of the time in Spain, and after Mary's death, the Spanish king would launch the [[Spanish Armada]] against England. There was no issue from this marriage. Their common ancestors were the [[Catholic Monarchs]] who were the grandparents of Mary I, and the great grandparents of Phillip II.
# '''1677:''' The initial first-cousin marriage (with no generations removed) was the marriage of [[William III of England]] and [[Mary II of England]]. It was a stable marriage. Their common grandparents were [[Charles I of England]] and his wife [[Henrietta Maria of France]].
# '''1682:''' The next first-cousin marriage was that of [[George I of Great Britain]] and [[Sophia Dorothea of Celle]]. It was pre-arranged and ended in divorce 12 years later. The couple hated each other. George had his ex-wife/cousin imprisoned for the last three decades of her life for infidelity. [[Sophia Dorothea of Hanover]], their daughter, married her only first cousin [[Frederick William I of Prussia]]. As a result, all the legitimate descendants of [[Sophia of Hanover]], the mother of George I, are identical to the descendants of George I. So the entire line of succession to the British throne is descended from this cousin marriage. There are over 5000 descendants alive in the beginning of the 21st century.
# '''1795:''' The pre-arranged marriage of [[George IV of the United Kingdom]] to his first cousin [[Caroline of Brunswick]] was disastrously unhappy. The couple despised each other and separated shortly after the birth of their only child, [[Princess Charlotte of Wales]]. Charlotte later married [[Leopold I of Belgium]] and died in childbirth, eventually paving the way for Victoria to succeed to the throne.
# '''1840:''' [[Queen Victoria]]'s marriage to her first cousin [[Albert, Prince Consort]] had little strategic and no economic advantage, but was long planned and encouraged by the couple's mutual uncle, [[Leopold I of Belgium]]. This marriage produced nine children, 40 grandchildren and more than 1000 total descendants who constitute a sizable portion of the [[reign]]ing royalty in Europe over the next century and a half. The hereditary disease, [[haemophilia]] – which manifested in the couple's children and remoter descendants – is not documentably attributed to [[inbreeding]], nor are there any documented marriages between two haemophilia [[genetic carrier]]s among the numerous inter-marriages between their descendants.
Of the four first-cousin marriages (no times removed), only the marriage of George I and Sophia Dorothea of Celle was a [[parallel cousin]] marriage. The fathers of the couple, [[George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg]], and [[Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg]], were brothers. Both brothers were alive when George imprisoned his ex-wife. The other three royal-cousin marriages were of cross cousins, where the parents who were siblings were brother and sister.
== All marriages of sovereigns ==
The table shows the closest cousin relationship (1st, 2nd, 3rd, ...) between the sovereigns and their spouses and the closest common ancestor.
===England===
Insufficient information is known concerning the spouses of the Anglo-Saxon and Danish kings of England to enable their relationships, if any, to be determined.
{| width=60% class="wikitable" border="1" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|+ Kings of England
|-
!width=5%| STATUS
!width=12%| Monarch
!width=15%| Spouse
!width=5%| Cousin
!width=5%| Generations removed
!width=12%| Closest common ancestor <ref>[http://roglo.eu/roglo''Roglo Genealogical Database'' website]</ref>
|-
| King || [[William the Conqueror]] || [[Matilda of Flanders]]|| 3 || 1 ||[[Fulk II, Count of Anjou]]
|-
| King || [[William II of England|William II]] || never married||style="background:red"|--- ||
|-
| King || [[Henry I of England|Henry I Beauclerc]] || [[Matilda of Scotland]]|| 7 || 0 || [[Alfred the Great]]
|-
| || || [[Adeliza of Louvain]]|| 4 || || [http://thepeerage.com/p10592.htm#i105912 Mathilde von Sachsen]
|-
| King || [[Stephen, King of England|Stephen]] || [[Matilda of Boulogne]]|| 4 || 1 || [http://thepeerage.com/p10592.htm#i105912 Mathilde von Sachsen]
|-
|style="background:yellow"| Lady of the English || [[Empress Matilda|Matilda]] ||style="background:yellow"|[[Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor]]<br> not a consort|| 2 ||2 || [[Gisela of Swabia]]
|-
| || ||style="background:yellow"|[[Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou]]<br> not a consort|| 4 || 1 ||[[Richard I, Duke of Normandy]]
|-
| King || [[Henry II of England|Henry II]] || [[Eleanor of Aquitaine]]|| 3 || ||[[Ermengarde of Anjou, Duchess of Burgundy]]
|-
|style="background:yellow"|King <br>died before father || [[Henry the Young King]]|| [[Margaret of France, Queen of England and Hungary|Margaret of France]]||4 ||||[[Robert I, Duke of Burgundy]]
|-
| King || [[Richard I of England|Richard I (Lionheart)]] || [[Berengaria of Navarre]] || 4 || ||[[Robert I, Duke of Burgundy]]
|-
| King || [[John, King of England|John I]] ||style="background:yellow"|[[Isabel, Countess of Gloucester]]<br> not a consort|| 2 || ||[[Henry I of England]]
|-
| || || [[Isabella of Angoulême]]|| 4 || 1 ||[[Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury]]
|-
| King || [[Henry III of England|Henry III]] || [[Eleanor of Provence]]|| 4 || ||[[Umberto II, Count of Savoy]]
|-
| King || [[Edward I of England|Edward I]] || [[Eleanor of Castile]]|| 2 || 1 ||[[Henry II of England]]
|-
| || || [[Margaret of France (died 1318)|Margaret of France]]||style="background:orange"|1 || 1 ||[[Beatrice of Savoy]]
|-
| King || [[Edward II of England|Edward II]] || [[Isabella of France]]|| 2 || 1 ||[[Beatrice of Savoy]]
|-
| King || [[Edward III of England|Edward III of Windsor]] || [[Philippa of Hainault]]|| 2 || ||[[Philip III of France]]
|-
| King || [[Richard II of England|Richard II]] || [[Anne of Bohemia]]|| 4 || ||[[Henry III, Duke of Brabant]]
|-
| || || [[Isabella of Valois]]|| 3 || ||[[Charles, Count of Valois]]
|-
| King || [[Henry IV of England|Henry IV of Bolingbroke]] ||style="background:yellow"|[[Mary de Bohun]]<br> not a consort|| 2 || ||[[Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster]]
|-
| || || [[Joan of Navarre, Queen of England|Joan of Navarre]]|| 3 || ||[[Philip IV of France]]
|-
| King || [[Henry V of England|Henry V]] || [[Catherine of Valois]]|| 3 || 1 ||[[Charles, Count of Valois]]
|-
| King || [[Henry VI of England|Henry VI]] || [[Margaret of Anjou]]|| 3 || ||[[John II of France]]
|-
| King || [[Edward IV of England|Edward IV]] || [[Elizabeth Woodville]]|| 6 || 1 ||[[Blanche de Brienne, Baroness Tingry]]
|-
| King || [[Edward V of England|Edward V]] || murdered as a child||style="background:red"| --- || ||
|-
| King || [[Richard III of England|Richard III]] || [[Anne Neville]]||style="background:orange"| 1 || 1 ||[[Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland]]
|-
| King || [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]] || [[Elizabeth of York]]|| 3 || || [[John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster]]
|-
| King || [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] || [[Catherine of Aragon]]|| 3 || 1 ||[[John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster]]
|-
| || || [[Anne Boleyn]]|| 5 || 1 ||[[Eleanor of Lancaster]]
|-
| || || [[Jane Seymour]]|| 5 || || [[Philippa, 5th Countess of Ulster]]
|-
| || || [[Anne of Cleves]]|| 5 || ||[[Elisabeth of Sicily, Duchess of Bavaria]]
|-
| || || [[Catherine Howard]]|| 5 || 1 ||[[Eleanor of Lancaster]]
|-
| || || [[Catherine Parr]]|| 3 || 1 ||[[Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland]]
|-
| King || [[Edward VI of England|Edward VI]] || never married||style="background:red"| --- ||
|-
|style="background:yellow"|Queen (unofficial) || [[Lady Jane Grey]] || [[Lord Guilford Dudley]]|| 3 || 1 ||[http://thepeerage.com/p3217.htm#i32164 Sir Edward Grey, 1st Lord Ferrers (of Groby)]
|-
| Queen || [[Mary I of England|Mary I]] || [[Philip II of Spain]]||style="background:orange"| 1 || 1 ||[[Isabella I of Castile]]
|-
| Queen || [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]] || never married||style="background:red"| --- ||
|}
===Scotland===
Prior to the 11th century, insufficient information is known of the wives of Scottish kings to allow their relationship to their spouses to be determined.
{| width=60% class="wikitable" border="1" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|+ Monarchy of Scotland
|-
!width=5%| STATUS
!width=12%| Monarch
!width=15%| Spouse
!width=5%| Cousin
!width=5%| Generations removed
!width=12%| Closest common ancestor
|-
| King
| [[Malcolm III of Scotland|Malcolm III]]
| [[Ingibiorg Finnsdottir]]
|style="background:yellow"|no known relation
|
|
|-
|
|
| [[Saint Margaret of Scotland|Margaret of Wessex]]
|style="background:yellow"|no known relation
|
|
|-
| King
| [[Donald III of Scotland|Donald III]]
| known to have children, no mother mentioned
| style="background:red"|---
|
|
|-
| King
| [[Duncan II of Scotland|Duncan II]]
| [[Ethelreda, daughter of Gospatric]]
| 2
|
| [[Crínán of Dunkeld]]
|-
| King
| [[Edgar, King of Scotland|Edgar]]
| never married
| style="background:red"|---
|
|
|-
| King
| [[Alexander I of Scotland|Alexander I]]
| [[Sybilla of Normandy]]
| 6
|
| [[Hugh II, Count of Nordgau]]
|-
| King
| [[David I of Scotland|David I]]
| [[Maud, Countess of Huntingdon]]
|style="background:yellow"|no known relation
|
|
|-
| King
| [[Malcolm IV of Scotland|Malcolm IV]]
| never married
| style="background:red"|---
|
|
|-
| King
| [[William the Lion|William I the Lion]]
| [[Ermengarde de Beaumont]]
| 4
|
|[[Robert I, Duke of Normandy]]
|-
| King
| [[Alexander II of Scotland|Alexander II]]
| [[Joan of England, Queen of Scotland|Joan of England]]
| 3
|
|[[Henry I of England]]
|-
|
|
| [[Marie de Coucy]]
| 3
| 1
|[[Hugh I, Count of Vermandois]]
|-
| King
| [[Alexander III of Scotland|Alexander III]]
| [[Margaret of England]]
| 4
|
| [[Henry I of England]]
|-
|
|
| [[Yolande of Dreux, Queen of Scotland|Yolande of Dreux]]
| 4
| 1
| [[Robert I, Count of Dreux]]
|-
|style="background:yellow"|Queen (unofficial)
| [[Margaret, Maid of Norway]]
| never married
| style="background:red"|---
|
|
|-
| King
| [[John Balliol]]
| [[Isabella de Warenne]]
| 4
|
| [[William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey]]
|-
| King
| [[Robert the Bruce]]
| [[Isabella of Mar]]
| 6
| 1
| [[Duncan I of Scotland]]
|-
|
|
| [[Elizabeth de Burgh]]
| 3
| 1
| [[William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke]]
|-
| King
| [[David II of Scotland|David II]]
| [[Joan of The Tower]]
| 6
|
| [[Henry I of England]]
|-
|
|
| [[Margaret Drummond, Queen of Scotland|Margaret Drummond]]
|style="background:yellow"|no known relation
|
|
|-
| King
| [[Robert II of Scotland|Robert II]]
| [[Elizabeth Mure]]
| 4
| 1
| [[William Comyn, Lord of Badenoch]]
|-
|
|
| [[Euphemia de Ross]]
| 3
| 1
| [[William Comyn, Lord of Badenoch]]
|-
| King
| [[Robert III of Scotland|Robert III]]
| [[Anabella Drummond]]
|style="background:yellow"|no known relation
|
|
|-
| King
| [[James I of Scotland|James I]]
| [[Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scotland|Joan Beaufort]]
| 5
| 1
| [[John Fitzgeoffrey]]
|-
| King
| [[James II of Scotland|James II]]
| [[Mary of Guelders]]
| 4
| 1
| [[William I, Count of Hainaut]]
|-
| King
| [[James III of Scotland|James III]]
| [[Margaret of Denmark, Queen of Scotland|Margaret of Denmark]]
| 5
|
| [[Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor]]
|-
| King
| [[James IV of Scotland|James IV]]
| [[Margaret Tudor]]
| 3
|
| [[John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset]]
|-
| King
| [[James V of Scotland|James V]]
| [[Madeleine of Valois]]
| 3
| 1
| [[Adolph I, Duke of Cleves]]
|-
|
|
| [[Mary of Guise]]
| 3
|
| [[Arnold, Duke of Guelders]]
|-
| Queen
| [[Mary, Queen of Scots|Mary I]]
| [[Francis II of France]]
| 3
|
|[[John VIII, Count of Vendôme]]
|-
|
|
| [[Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley]]
|style="background:orange"| 1
|
|[[Margaret Tudor]]
|-
|
|
| [[James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell]]
| 3
| 1
| [[Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scots]]
|}
===England & Scotland===
Following the accession of James I of Scotland to the English throne, the two crowns were held by the same monarch in [[personal union]].
{| width=60% class="wikitable" border="1" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|+ Monarchs of England and Scotland
|-
!width=5%| STATUS
!width=12%| Monarch
!width=15%| Spouse
!width=5%| Cousin
!width=5%| Generations removed
!width=12%|Closest common ancestor
|-
| King || [[James I of England|James VI & I]] || [[Anne of Denmark]]|| 3 || 1 ||[[Christian I of Denmark]]
|-
| King || [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] || [[Henrietta Maria of France]]|| 3 || 1|| [[Francis, Count of Vendôme]]
|-
| King || [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] || [[Catherine of Braganza]]|| 5 || || [[Isabella I of Castile]]
|-
| King || [[James II of England|James II & VII]] ||[[Anne Hyde]]<br> not a consort|| 9 ||1 || [[Eleanor of Lancaster]]
|-
| || ||[[Mary of Modena]]||3 || 1 ||[[Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany]]
|-
| Queen || [[Mary II of England|Mary II]] || [[William III of England|William II]] (co-monarchs)||style="background:orange"| 1 || ||[[Charles I of England]]
|-
| Queen || [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Anne]] || [[Prince George of Denmark]]|| 2 || 1 ||[[Frederick II of Denmark]]
|}
===United Kingdom===
{| width=60% class="wikitable" border="1" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|+ Monarchy of the United Kingdom
|-
!width=5%| STATUS
!width=12%| Name
!width=15%| Spouse
!width=5%| Cousin
!width=5%| Generations removed
!width=12%| Closest common ancestor
|-
|-
| Queen || [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Anne]] || [[Prince George of Denmark]]|| 2 || 1|| [[Frederick II of Denmark]]
|-
| King || [[George I of Great Britain|George I]] || [[Sophia Dorothea of Celle]]||style="background:orange"| 1 |||| [[George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg]]
|-
| King || [[George II of Great Britain|George II]] || [[Caroline of Ansbach]]|| 3 || 1|| [[John George, Elector of Brandenburg]]
|-
| King || [[George III of the United Kingdom|George III]] || [[Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]|| 2 || 2 || [[Adolf Frederick I, Duke of Mecklenburg]]
|-
| King || [[George IV of the United Kingdom|George IV]] || [[Maria Fitzherbert]] (marriage declared invalid)|| || ||
|-
| || ||[[Caroline of Brunswick]]||style="background:orange"| 1 || ||[[Frederick, Prince of Wales]]
|-
| King || [[William IV of the United Kingdom|William IV]] || [[Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen]] || 3 || 1 ||[[Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha]]
|-
| Queen || [[Queen Victoria]] || [[Albert, Prince Consort]]||style="background:orange"| 1 || ||[[Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld]]
|-
| King || [[Edward VII]] || [[Alexandra of Denmark]]|| 3 || 1 || [[Duke Louis of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]
|-
| King || [[George V]] || [[Mary of Teck]]|| 2 || 1 || [[George III of the United Kingdom]]
|-
| King || [[Edward VIII]] ||style="background:yellow"|[[Wallis Simpson|Wallis Warfield Simpson]]<br />not a consort||style="background:yellow"|no known relation ||||
|-
| King || [[George VI]] || [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon]]|| 13 || || [[Henry VII of England]]
|-
| Queen || [[Elizabeth II]] || [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]]|| 2 || 1 || [[Christian IX of Denmark]]
|}
== Other Royal Marriages ==
Marriages not of monarchs but other closely related people to the monarch. The marriages from previous centuries are shown to connect missing generations.
{| | width=60% class="wikitable" border="1" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|+ Other Members of Royal Family Britain and the UK
|-
! STATUS !! Name !! Spouse !! Cousin !! Generations<br>removed !! Closest common ancestor
|-
|Princess || [[Marjorie Bruce]] || [[Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland]] || 4 || 1|| [[Walter Stewart, 3rd High Steward of Scotland]]
|-
| Queen of Bohemia || [[Elizabeth of Bohemia|Elizabeth Stuart]] || [[Frederick V, Elector Palatine]] || 4 || || [[Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg]]
|-
| Duchess || [[Sophia of Hanover]] || [[Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] || 2 || 1|| [[Christian III of Denmark]]
|-
| Prince of Wales || [[Frederick, Prince of Wales|Frederick]] || [[Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha]] || 3 || 1|| [[John II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar]]
|-
| Prince || [[Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn|Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathern]] || [[Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld]] || 3 || 1|| [[Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg]]
|-
|Prince of Wales || [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Charles]] || [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Diana Spencer]] || 7 || 1|| [[William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire]]
|-
| || || [[Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall|Camilla Shand Parker Bowles]] || 9 || 1 || [[Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne]]
|-
|Prince || [[Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex|Edward]] || [[Sophie, Countess of Wessex|Sophie Rhys-Jones]]
|| 11 || 1|| [http://thepeerage.com/p3072.htm#i30716 Nicholas St. John]
|-
|Prince || [[Prince William, Duke of Cambridge|William]] || [[Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge|Catherine Middleton]] || 11<ref>{{cite news|last=Cracroft-Brennan|first=Patrick|title=How royal is the royal baby?|url=http://www.channel4.com/news/how-royal-is-the-royal-baby-kate-william|accessdate=11 October 2013|publisher=Channel 4|date=22 July 2013|quote='This ups the game a little – making the pair 11th cousins once removed.'}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Turner|first=Robin|title=Prince George related to Llywelyn the Great, claims genealogist|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/prince-george-related-llywelyn-great-5385491|date=31 July 2013|work=WalesOnline|publisher=Media Wales|accessdate=13 October 2013|quote='This means that Prince George's parents William and Kate are related to each other through Edward IV'}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.americanancestors.org/uploadedFiles/American_Ancestors/Content/Publications/American_Ancestors_Magazine/Magazine_PDFs/12-4_lores.pdf |title=A Gratifying Discovery: Connecting Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, to Sir Thomas Conyers, 9th Bt. of Horden, Durham |first=Christopher Challender |last=Child |journal=American Ancestors |publisher=New England Historic Genealogical Society |date=Fall 2011 |volume=12 |number=4 |pages=35–36 |accessdate=15 October 2013}}</ref> ||1 ||[[Blakiston baronets|Sir William Blakiston]]
|}
== Windsor marriages ==
The most recent common ancestor of [[George VI]] and his wife [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Queen Elizabeth]] was [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]] who had died over 400 years before their marriage. When the future king married his 13th cousin on 26 April 1923 his older brother, [[Edward VIII]], the heir apparent was still only age 28 and was still expected to marry and succeed to the throne. However, shortly after the marriage, Edward began to openly talk about his desire to abdicate and make his brother the sovereign, which he actually did 13 years later. This marriage was the most distant family relationship that produced a child that also became a sovereign. It was also the first time since [[James II of England|James II & VII]] that a sovereign married a spouse of primarily British descent. It was also the first time since [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] that a sovereign married someone who was more distantly related than ''3rd cousin once removed'' (not including Edward VIII, marrying Wallis Simpson after his abdication).
The most recent common ancestors of [[Elizabeth II]] and her husband [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]] were [[Christian IX of Denmark]] and his wife [[Louise of Hesse-Kassel]]. The table above list the closest familial relationship, but sometimes more distant relationships are better known. Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are also third cousins from their descent from Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Christian IX died in 1906. Queen Victoria died in 1901.
Prince Charles' first proposal and the only one before Diana, was to his 2nd cousin, Amanda Knatchbull. She and her husband were invited to his eventual marriage to [[Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall|Camilla Parker Bowles]] in 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/story/charles-invites-four-exgirlfriends-to-wedding |title=Charles Invites Four Exgirlfriends to Wedding }}</ref>
[[Image:3rdDukeOfDevonshire2.jpg|right|thumb|100px|The 3rd Duke of Devonshire.]]
Prince Charles and Diana's most recent common ancestors were [[William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire]] and his wife Catherine Hoskins, who died in the last half of the 18th century. Since they both had well documented pedigrees, they have hundreds of known ancestors in common before that time.
Prince Charles and Camilla's most recent common ancestor is [[Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne]] who died in 1691.
[[Prince Arthur of Connaught]] was a male line grandson of Queen Victoria and first cousin to [[George V]]. He married his first cousin once removed, [[Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife]], a female line granddaughter of King Edward VII on 15 October 1913. The couple had a son, [[Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn]], 10 months later. Alastair was born ninth in line to the throne and died unmarried and childless as 12th in line in 1943. He is the last child born to a couple consisting of ''first cousins once removed'' in the British royal family.
==See also==
*[[Endogamy]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Sources==
* [[Archie Duncan|Duncan, A. A. M.]], ''The Kingship of the Scots 842–1292: Succession and Independence.'' Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 2002. ISBN 0-7486-1626-8
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marriages Of The British Monarchy}}
[[Category:British monarchy]]