Every Brit knows if they go abroad that you're asked if you live in London and know the Royal Family.
Well, now you can find out if you're related to royalty once and for all, thanks to a new tool.
Family history firm Ancestry has revealed that nearly 1 in 5 British people believe they are related to the British Royal Family, whilst 16% think their family has a connection to the British Royal Family in other ways.
READ MORE: Patriotic Brits warned decorating car for the Coronation could end in £100 fine
With the UK under the global spotlight as it hosts the Coronation of King Charles III, Ancestry is inviting people to discover their personal connection to this unique moment in history.
To celebrate the Coronation, for a limited time only, Ancestry is providing free access to all UK records on its platform from May 4th-8th.
During this time, British people can explore over 2.5 billion UK records and discover their own family history and possible links to the royal family and nobility for free.
Brad Argent, Family History Expert at Ancestry said, “With the right information it’s entirely possible to trace your roots back to nobility and the Royal Family.
"The combination of the digitisation of billions of records, millions of family trees being created every year, plus a growing number of people doing DNA tests – means it’s more likely now than at any other time in history that people will be able to trace their lineage back to nobility and therefore find a royal connection.”
Beyond potential blood lines to the throne, Ancestry urges people to also consider other ways their ancestors may have been close to the royals.
“It’s important not to underestimate the incredible stories waiting to be discovered about how our ancestors may have been connected to the Crown via their work or proximity to nobility," said Brad.
"Careers working for the large aristocratic houses of Great Britain were often passed down through generations and Ancestry’s 40 billion-strong collection of records is a great place to uncover untold stories of royal connection."
Dr Michala Hulme, a Lecturer in British History from the University of Birmingham, who has worked with Ancestry on ITV’s DNAJourneys amongst other genealogy projects added: "With the impending coronation of King Charles III, you might be wondering what your family was doing during previous coronations? Were they part of the celebrations, or were they part of the Royal entourage?
"With Ancestry’s fantastic range of records, it has never been easier to spot nobility or a royal connection in your family tree.”
Ancestry shares its top five tips to see if you have royal connections:
- If you haven’t already, get started on a family tree. Parish records, Census documents and birth certificates and military records all serve to uncover unexpected royal roots.
- Look out for names in your tree that are found in trees of nobility. Noble names to watch out for include: Howard, Seymour, Percy, Byron, Grosvenor and Fitzroy. If you have these names in your family tree, narrow the search and look for signs of wealth; as shown by land and business holdings. Wills and probate records on Ancestry can help with that. Also search for records of ancestors who traveled first class—another sign of money, status, and possibly royal connections. For that, ship manifest records on Ancestry may be useful.
- Talk to your oldest living relatives about what you discover on your tree and tap into their knowledge of your family to help validate information that may be missing – especially female ancestors whose work may not have been captured in official records. Until as recently as 2020 mothers’ names were excluded from marriage certificates.
- Consult published royal family trees – see if you can make a connection between your ancestors and the descendants of monarchs. For example, Ancestry has the following collection: Plantagenet Roll of the Blood Royal. This database is part of a series called The Plantagenet Roll of the Blood Royal which traces the descendants of Edward III, King of England (1312-77). Lines are traced out in descendancy tables until about the middle of the 19th Century.
- Do a DNA test. With over 23 million DNA samples in Ancestry’s database the chance of matching with potential Royal cousins increases every day.
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