From Queen Elizabeth To Prince Harry, These Royals Married Their Relatives

History buffs probably know that members of the royal families in ancient Egypt, Inca and Peru have no qualms marrying their relatives. One of the obvious advantages of this practice is that it keeps the power and wealth within their clans, which prevents dilution of their influence.

But what might surprise fans is that some members of the British royal family, including modern-day royals, have married their distant relatives. Here’s a short list of modern-day royals who married their relations, which includes Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Harry.

Prince William And Kate Middleton

While Kate Middleton is considered a commoner before she married Prince William, she is actually a distant relative of her royal. According to Reader’s Digest, Kate is William’s eleventh cousin, once removed.

Kate is a descendant of Sir William Blakiston, who was a Baronet. Unfortunately for Kate, the peerage was not something that she can inherit.

Prince Harry And Meghan Markle

This is probably one of the biggest surprises for royal family fans. Meghan Markle, who was born across the Atlantic in the distant land of America, is actually related to her husband, who is a member of British royalty.

Somebody did a little genealogical investigation and found out that they are very distant cousins. They are related via the High Sheriff of County Durham Ralph Bowes, who is the fifteenth-century ancestor of the Queen Mother.

Prince Charles And Princess Diana

Well, the boys can’t be blamed for marrying their distant relatives because their parents actually did it first. Prince Charles and Princess Diana were seventh cousins, once removed. They are both descended from William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire.

Queen Elizabeth II And Prince Philip

And their grandparents did it too! Queen Elizabeth is actually related to Prince Philip, twice.

Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburg are third cousins as they are both Queen Victoria’s great-great-grandchildren. Queen Elizabeth is the great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria’s son, King Edward VII, while Prince Philip is the great-grandson of Queen Victoria’s daughter, Princess Alice.

In addition, they are also second cousins, once removed. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are both descended from King Christian IX of Denmark.