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Royal cousin marriages through history will blow your mind
The surprising history of cousin marriages of monarchs
Royals have a history especially European royal families; they were often married to cousins as a measure to preserve wealth and titles and strengthen alliances.
Even British royal family’s current rules allow marriage to non-royals, with fewer restrictions on cousin marriages compared to historical times.
Let’s have a look at royal cousin marriages through History will blow your mind
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (First cousins)
Queen Victoria, who ruled from 1837 to 1901, married her first cousin Prince Albert.
Notably, Victoria was the daughter of Francis’s daughter, Princess Victoria of Saxe Coburg-Saalfeld.
Albert, on other hand, was the son of Francis’s son, Ernest III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.
The match was intended to strengthen ties between the German states.
King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra (Third cousins)
Like his mother, Queen Victoria, King Edward VII also married his cousin, albeit a more distant one, Alexandra of Denmark, in 1863.
Edward VII was the son of Queen Victoria, who was the great-granddaughter of King George III.
Queen Alexandra, born Alexandra of Denmark, was a great-great-granddaughter of King George II.
King George V and Queen Mary (Second cousins)
Like his father, King Edward VII, married a cousin his second cousin, Mary of Teck.
It is worth mentioning here that George, the son of King Edward VII, was the great-grandson of King George III and Queen Mary, born Mary of Teck, was a great-granddaughter of King George III.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip (Third cousins)
The late couple were third cousins and second cousins once removed.
Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in British history, and her husband, Prince Philip, shared a great-great-grandmother: Queen Victoria.
Elizabeth II is the great-granddaughter of King Edward VII, Queen Victoria’s son. Philip’s great-grandmother was Princess Alice, Queen Victoria’s daughter.
But the cousin connections don’t stop there as Elizabeth and Philip are also related through King Christian IX of Denmark.
Henry VII and Elizabeth of York (Third cousins)
King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York shared a great-great-grandparent, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, making them the third cousins.
Elizabeth of York: Elizabeth descended from John of Gaunt’s daughter, Joan Beaufort and Henry VII descended from John of Gaunt’s son, John Beaufort.
