# Prince William marrying a distant cousin **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 31, 2011, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621 "2011-03-31T13:10:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621/1 "2011-03-31T13:10:02Z")
His future wife is a 14th cousin once removed. She is also related to George Washington and Guy Ritchie > **[Video News - CNN](https://www.cnn.com/videos)** > > Watch breaking news videos, viral videos and original video clips on CNN.com. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621/2 "2011-03-31T14:19:35Z")
For that matter, **you** are probably **my** 14th cousin, once removed. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621/3 "2011-03-31T14:30:09Z")
Their common ancestor is Edward I. I would be interested in knowing what percentage of Englishmen are NOT descended from Edward I. He lived in the 13th century and had at least 7 children who survived to produce heirs. I bet there’s a mathematical model that could work with those numbers; anyone know how to do it? ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621/4 "2011-03-31T14:32:59Z")
As far as Royal marriages go, that’s very distant. Heck, Rudy Giuliani married a much closer cousin than that. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621/5 "2011-03-31T14:34:27Z")
My great-grandparents died in the 1950s and have more than 1000 direct descendants. Edward I died in 1307 and probably has in the millions if not the tens of millions of descendants. Among others are Princess Diana (meaning that William is a descendant through both sides) and George Washington. He’s probably way more closely related to his fiancee, and through several lines, than the Edward I connection. That’s just the only one that can be easily traced. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621/6 "2011-03-31T14:34:31Z")
Heck, I’m closer than that to Sidney Poitier. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621/7 "2011-03-31T14:37:55Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Heck, I’m closer than that to Sidney Poitier. As seen in that play about you, _Less than 14 Degrees of Separation_. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621/8 "2011-03-31T14:59:31Z")
Yarp. Unless you and I come from families historically separated by tens of thousands of miles, we’re likely closer than 14th cousins. My sister’s husband turned out to be her sixth cousin. ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621/9 "2011-03-31T15:07:15Z")
I’m outraged. He should be marrying somebody no less related than a third cousin. What’s modern royalty coming to these days? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621/10 "2011-03-31T16:00:30Z")
> [@Double\_Foolscap](#): > > I’m outraged. He should be marrying somebody no less related than a third cousin. What’s modern royalty coming to these days? I quite agree. If this nonsense carries on, in a couple of generations they’ll have chins. ---
**Author:** ![fjs1fs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fjs1fs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fjs1fs)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621/11 "2011-03-31T17:11:16Z")
> [@Nawth\_Chucka](#): > > As far as Royal marriages go, that’s very distant. Heck, Rudy Giuliani married a much closer cousin than that. I never knew Rudy was royalty! ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621/12 "2011-03-31T17:18:10Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Yarp. Unless you and I come from families historically separated by tens of thousands of miles, we’re likely closer than 14th cousins. My sister’s husband turned out to be her sixth cousin. Heck, I’m probably related to them. (All my grandparents were English…) ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621/13 "2011-03-31T18:01:48Z")
I’m a 7th cousin of a former president, does that make me presidential? ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621/14 "2011-03-31T18:11:59Z")
I am related to most of the people on this planet. But I still won’t let them borrow money. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621/15 "2011-03-31T19:46:40Z")
Also he said he’s not wearing a ring. Maybe he plans to pick up girls in bars. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621/16 "2011-03-31T19:54:48Z")
I read a book maybe 8-9 years ago based on this premise: > **[We are all descended from Charlemagne](https://nltaylor.net/sketchbook/archives/9)** > > Back in 1999 Chris Dickinson posted a fine piece of Internet performance art to the Usenet discussion list soc.genealogy.medieval. Beginning with the sentence “We are all descended from Charl… I can’t for the life of me remember the name of the book or the author, but the theory was that we’re all descended from Cleopatra and everyone of Northern European descent is descended from Charlamegne. ---
**Author:** ![kaiwik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaiwik/32/3978_2.png) [@kaiwik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaiwik)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621/17 "2011-03-31T20:09:01Z")
Cool! That makes me part of the family as well. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621/18 "2011-03-31T20:10:20Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Heck, I’m closer than that to Sidney Poitier. I’m closer to my _dog_ than that! Oops, I’ve said too much. Ruff! ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621/19 "2011-03-31T20:16:28Z")
Back in Cleopatra’s day, they married their siblings. YUCK! ---
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621/20 "2011-03-31T21:19:25Z")
Shocking. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-william-marrying-a-distant-cousin/576621.md?page=2)