Are you related to the royals? - Many families claim to have noble ancestors - but what is the truth? - It’s a phrase uttered at family gatherings the nation over: “We’re supposed to be descended from royalty, you know.”
Pretty much everyone in Britain can claim some kind of distant ancestor connected to the monarchy – even if it’s from the wrong side of the tracks.
Indeed, according to my family legend, I am descended from Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV, sister-in-law of Richard III and the mother of the murdered Princes in the Tower.
Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV
Charlemagne, King of the Franks
Elizabeth managed to pull off the quite extraordinary feat of dying peacefully in bed during the reign of Henry VII – a time when many Plantagenets met their end on the executioner’s block.
But like most family legends hinting at a connection to royalty, it remains just that: a myth. My grandfather undertook some research on our ancestors back in the Seventies, but a link to the 15th-century queen eluded him.
Today, however, with so many of our historical records online, the process is much easier.
Russell James of Ancestry.co.uk has some advice for anyone trying to prove a family link to the throne: “You’re more likely to find links to historical royals than the current monarchy,” he says. “Everybody is related to a king or queen - it’s just a matter of how far back you go.
“There’s a well-established idea, for example, that we’re all descended from Charlemagne, an ancestor of early royals like William the Conqueror.”
Patrick Baty, a historical paint consultant, started researching his family in order to verify his right to become a Descendant Member of the Society of the Knights of the Garter.
To qualify, those hoping to join must prove their descent from at least one former or current member of the Order of the Garter. Baty managed to trace his lineage back – and not just to any old member of the Order, but to Edward III, its founder.
He says: “Once you start to hit members of the aristocracy it’s easy, because they are so well documented. I was excited to reach William the Conqueror. Over about eight years, in the odd free moment, I plotted about 40,000 ancestors.”
So if you have a family legend to verify, where should you start?
According to Ancestry.co.uk, the best way to begin is to create a family tree. Start with yourself, add what you know about your relatives and you’ll start to receive personal hints.
As your tree grows, you will find other members with the same records in their trees. So you can get in touch, share information and check for any links to royalty.Investigating a family legend is fun – not to mention exciting.
I intend to pick up where my grandfather left off and delve back into the Wars of the Roses. Will I prove my family myth? Who knows? But I’m sure to make some other intriguing discoveries along the way. ( Ancestry.co.uk )
Pretty much everyone in Britain can claim some kind of distant ancestor connected to the monarchy – even if it’s from the wrong side of the tracks.
Indeed, according to my family legend, I am descended from Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV, sister-in-law of Richard III and the mother of the murdered Princes in the Tower.
Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV
Charlemagne, King of the Franks
Elizabeth managed to pull off the quite extraordinary feat of dying peacefully in bed during the reign of Henry VII – a time when many Plantagenets met their end on the executioner’s block.
But like most family legends hinting at a connection to royalty, it remains just that: a myth. My grandfather undertook some research on our ancestors back in the Seventies, but a link to the 15th-century queen eluded him.
Today, however, with so many of our historical records online, the process is much easier.
Russell James of Ancestry.co.uk has some advice for anyone trying to prove a family link to the throne: “You’re more likely to find links to historical royals than the current monarchy,” he says. “Everybody is related to a king or queen - it’s just a matter of how far back you go.
“There’s a well-established idea, for example, that we’re all descended from Charlemagne, an ancestor of early royals like William the Conqueror.”
Patrick Baty, a historical paint consultant, started researching his family in order to verify his right to become a Descendant Member of the Society of the Knights of the Garter.
To qualify, those hoping to join must prove their descent from at least one former or current member of the Order of the Garter. Baty managed to trace his lineage back – and not just to any old member of the Order, but to Edward III, its founder.
He says: “Once you start to hit members of the aristocracy it’s easy, because they are so well documented. I was excited to reach William the Conqueror. Over about eight years, in the odd free moment, I plotted about 40,000 ancestors.”
So if you have a family legend to verify, where should you start?
According to Ancestry.co.uk, the best way to begin is to create a family tree. Start with yourself, add what you know about your relatives and you’ll start to receive personal hints.
As your tree grows, you will find other members with the same records in their trees. So you can get in touch, share information and check for any links to royalty.Investigating a family legend is fun – not to mention exciting.
I intend to pick up where my grandfather left off and delve back into the Wars of the Roses. Will I prove my family myth? Who knows? But I’m sure to make some other intriguing discoveries along the way. ( Ancestry.co.uk )
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