Princess Diana’s family tree shows regal connections long before she married royalty – FindMyPast December 1, 2020

I saw this on FindMyPast today – Princess Diana’s family tree shows regal connections long before she married royalty:  https://www.findmypast.com/blog/discoveries/diana-princess-of-wales. Article is longer and includes photos.

Ellie Overthrow-Jones 01 December 2020

 

Scandal, heartbreak, and drama abound as Princess Diana appears in The Crown on Netflix. But who were her ancestors, and was Diana really related to royalty and Winston Churchill?

Known for her extensive charity work, lasting fashion sense, and tumultuous marriage to Prince Charles, Diana Frances Spencer was born on 1 July 1961 to parents John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer, and Frances Roche.

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She was the fourth of five children and grew up near Sandringham Palace, even playing with the young princes Andrew and Edward. Princess Diana’s family tree tells a story of love, heartbreak, and war.

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Is Diana related to Winston Churchill?

The short answer is yes. Via the Spencer-Churchill line, Princess Diana is related to Winston Churchill, former British prime minister. Their common ancestors include Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl Spencer (1675-1722) and his wife Anne Churchill: Diana’s 7x great-grandparents, and Winston’s 5x great-grandparents. So, the connection goes back way back.

Diana’s royal roots

Diana is descended from not one, but two illegitimate children of King Charles II of England: Henry Fitzroy and Charles Lennox, via two of her great-grandmothers, Adelaide Seymour and Rosalind Bingham. This means that Diana’s royal family tree stretches back through the ages of both English and Scottish history.

The Princess of Wales is also connected to another famous female royal, Mary, Queen of Scots, whose own life was marked by tragedy, politics, and controversy. In addition, this royal connection means that Diana and her husband Prince Charles were very distant cousins, via several lines. In particular, they each descend from a daughter of Henry VII: Margaret, who married James IV of Scotland, and Mary, who married Charles Brandon.

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