Are You Related To Royalty?
With the history books full of legendary tales of famous kings and queens or infamous princes and princesses, it can be tempting to wonder whether we have any links to these notable royal characters through our own family lineage.
And given the value placed on the lines of ‘blue-blood’ and the importance of direct family connections within royal families, it can be appealing to imagine that somewhere in our own genetic history we have some relation to the royal breeding that has been so highly prized throughout the ages.
Many people like to wonder if they’re related to royalty, purely for the pleasure of knowing their family history, or the delight in feeling acquainted with the great royals of the ages.
Or there may be a deeper meaning attached to this type of enquiry. Perhaps you’re delving into your family history and want to explore a branch that has royal roots. Or maybe you believe you have a claim to an inheritance or some links to the royal rights and privileges that were often handed down through the centuries to generations of descendants.
Whatever the reasons for wondering if you’re related to royalty, the good news is that these days there are a vast number of avenues available for you to explore your family history and genetic heritage. These vary from casual personal enquiries and a passing interest, to more in-depth specialist services and techniques for tracking down your past and your roots.
Here are a few of the ways you can discover whether you are actually related to the kings and queens, the princes and princesses of the ages – or even, of modern times.
Living Family Members
One of the best places to begin any research into your family history is to speak to living family members, particularly those of the older generations.
While living family will only be able to remember so far back into the mists of time, it can be surprising what stories are passed down through the generations, and often these are only discovered when a family’s older members are quizzed on their ancestry, or they are invited to reminisce about childhood details and their older relatives.
It’s amazing what new leads or areas of enquiry can be garnered just from listening to your grandparents talk about their childhood. Perhaps a casual mention of a neighbour, mysterious visitor or a scandalous affair could provide the clue you’re looking for in tracking down any royal connections.
Research Your Family Tree
Looking into a family tree is a fascinating undertaking and appeals to so many of us looking to know more about where we came from and our family roots.
The popularity of this pastime is evident in the many specialist services that are now available to help you delve into the archives and discover more about your ancestors.
These services range from the DIY subscription services that enable you to access official documents from the last few centuries, to the highly-specialised experts who can track down long-lost relatives or perform deep investigative work into your family history and connections.
Some providers can even pursue the legal legacy of your family history, to discover any claims on inherited land, titles, rights or privileges. While these may or may not lead to royal connections, they could be a fascinating and potentially lucrative discovery.
If you do decide to embark on a study into your family tree, you can easily begin delving into the details on your own – the internet makes it much easier these days to discover more about your ancestors.
Then if you decide the investigation is worth hiring some assistance, you can then look for the relevant experts to help, who can offer a wide range of services. Again the internet is a great place to find out what’s possible, what’s available locally, and how much these expert services cost.
Genetic Testing
With all the advances in technology, it has become much easier for the general public to get sophisticated diagnostics from their genetic profile.
Nowadays, it’s possible to pay a modest fee to access genetic testing and a whole range of correlated databases to discover more about your own genetic makeup.
Often these testing services require just a small sample of hair, saliva or blood, which can often be provided by mail, so you can do the test from the comfort of your own home. Then after a short period, you’ll receive a detailed report that can give you vital information about your family lineage, for example, the places your ancestors lived and what nationalities make up your unique genetic fingerprint.
These reports can also include health screening results if required, and they can reveal a fascinating degree of insights into your DNA and genes. These results may help you in narrowing down your search for royal connections to a specific geographic location.
They may even reveal some information that confirms your theory that you are related to royalty, or at least, they may help direct you to a helpful place to continue your search.
Some of these testing services offer a report on your connections to famous celebrities, and while these may not be the ancient royal links you’d hoped for, you may enjoy knowing that you are in some way related to the modern-day equivalent to the royals of old.
These are just a few of the starting points for looking into your family history to see if you might be related to the famous royals of history or the modern royals of today.
You may be one of the lucky ones and discover a surprise connection to a royal family, or you may simply embark on an enjoyable adventure into the stories of your ancestors.
But if your search into the past doesn’t yield the royal connections you’d hoped for, you could always do what many nobles and aristocrats of ancient times have done in a bid to elevate their social standing; purchase one of the few remaining royal titles, and become the beginning of a new line of royal heritage for your present family and your future descendants.
You might not be related to royalty, but if thinking about the possibility has made you curious about acquiring a prestigious Noble Title of your own get in touch using the enquiry form in the sidebar or you can contact our Geneva office directly between 10.00-19.00, Monday to Friday on +41 225 181 360.