Wondering how they're related?

Question

some of my most favorite books to read are regarding history. lately, i have found myself reading about some of King Henry VIII's wives...and i guess now i'm curious how Queen Elizabeth II and her family are related to them...and i wonder, if she's ever been curious about what her relatives were like...just wondering.

Answer 1

Queen Elizabeth II and her British royal family are not "direct descendants" of King Henry or his wives, however, the Queen is definitely a distant relative of Henry VIII through his eldest sister, Princess Margaret Tudor.

Princess Margaret Tudor was married to James VI of Scotland, therefore, she was the paternal grandmother of the famous Mary, Queen of Scot, and the great grandmother of

James I & VI of England and Scotland.

James's eldest daughter, Princess Elizabeth Stuart was married to Frederick V, Elector Palatine. Her youngest daughter, Sophia was married to Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover where she became Electress Sophia of Hanover.

The current British succession law, The Act of Settlement of 1701, declared Sophia as the heiress presumptive to her first cousin once removed, Queen Anne of England, Scotland and Ireland (later Queen of Great Britain and Ireland). She would have acceded to Anne's crown, had she not died a few weeks before Anne did.

On Sophia's death, her son George Louis, Elector of Hanover and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, became heir presumptive. On Queen Anne's death, he became King George I, who is the great-great-great-great-great...grandfat... of Queen Elizabeth II. Therefore, this is also the turning point in British history, when the Germans mingled in with the British royal family. For three generations until George III, the British monarchs were born in Germany, and spoke little English.

Note: Queen Elizabeth II is also a direct descendant of Mary Boleyn through her mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Mary was Anne Boleyn's sister, and was also the famous royal mistress of Henry VIII. Therefore, Queen Elizabeth II is also distantly related to Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII.

Fun Fact: Two of Mary Boleyn’s children were reputed to be the illegitimate offspring of Henry VIII. Therefore, if there are real evidence to suggest this, Queen Elizabeth II will be a “direct descendant” of Henry VIII.

British royal family tree

http://www.britroyals.com/royaltree.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Wi...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophia_of_H...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Boleyn

Answer 2

Elizabeth II's closest relationship to Henry VIII is as his quintuple-(twelve greats)-grandniece. Elizabeth descends once from Henry's sister Mary, Queen of France and four times from his sister Margaret, Queen of Scotland.

I'll write it out... Henry is Elizabeth's great-great-great-great-great-great-grea... five times!

Charles, Prince of Wales, is a (thirteen greats)-grandnephew of Henry VIII through eleven lines and a (fourteen greats)-grandnephew of Henry at least thirty-four times (both through his mother and through his father. Same goes for his siblings: Anne, Edward and Andrew.

The sons of Charles are also distant nephews of Henry through their mother Diana a few dozen times.

Henry VIII is also a distant uncle of Sarah, Duchess of York so Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are distant nieces through their father Andrew, Duke of York and subsequently through the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh).

The wife of Edward, Earl of Wessex (Sophie, Countess of Wessex) is only known to descend from a second cousin of Henry VIII and thus doesn't add anymore nieceships or nephewships to her children with Edward: James, Viscount Severn and Louise.

I imagine all of the Royal Family ponder what their more illustrious predecessors were like.

Answer 3

Here's a site that you might find helpful:

British royal family history including royal family trees since Alfred the Great, biographies of kings and queens, timeline, and line of succession, http://www.britroyals.com/

best of luck to you!