The Habsburg Jaw

I know a guy who I think is probably descended from the Habsburg royal family. He is of German ancestry, and he has the typical features of the Habsburgs, an underbite, a very large nose, and trouble chewing and breathing. He’s also prone to depression, which was another Habsburg trait.

Recently I came across an image of a young Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and I swear it looks exactly like this guy. Poor guy. He has suffered from speech problems his whole life because of his underbite.

My question is, just how common is this feature among ethnic Germans, Austrians and Spaniards? I assume there are many, since the Habsburgs had so many descendants and a huge number of illegitimate children who passed on their genes to the general population. Do you see more people with this kind of jaw and large nose in Europe than you do in America? I read somewhere that the majority of white Americans have German ancestry. Has there ever been any kind of study on Habsburg descendants in America and whether or not they carry the genes for these facial features?

I do know a family of German descent and many in that family have these facial traits. They are from the Cincinnati area.

I had no idea until you posted this that these are typical Habsburg features. This family had no trouble with breathing, talking or eating, but their noses were not quite as big. One son definitely bears a resemblance to this portrait.

I don’t know of any studies on the Habsburg descendants in America.