Duchess Kate Jane Austen
The new Duchess of Cambridge is Jane Austen's 11th cousin, six times removed, the website Ancestry.ca announced Tuesday.
The two women have a common ancestor who lived in the 15th century: Henry Percy, Second Earl of Northumberland.
"It's relatively rare to find something quite as interesting as this," said Roger Dunbar, managing director of Ancestry.ca, calling the connection "kismet" or fate.
Percy was born in 1392 at Alnwick Castle and lived a relatively long life, to age 63, dying in battle in the War of the Roses, Dunbar said. (Another interesting bit of trivia: Alnwick was used as a stand-in for Hogwarts school in the Harry Potter movies.)
He said the Kate-Jane connection surfaced when Ancestry.ca genealogists set out to map the duchess's family tree. As they went further back in time, the common ancestor was discovered when they cross-referenced it Austen's family tree, which was already in the database.
In a quirky twist of fate, the duchess is living the real-life version of Austen's most famous novels such as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. A middle-class heroine and a dashing aristocrat fall in love, rise above the malicious gossip, get married and live happily ever after.
The 29-year-old newlywed does not come from an aristocratic background. She married Prince William — second in line to the British throne — in April after a nine-year relationship.
In fact, the duchess is the first non-aristocrat to marry into the Royal Family since 1660, when Anne Hyde married the future King James II, said Carolyn Harris, an expert in royal families at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont.
Since then, royal brides have come from the high aristocracy or European royal families.
The romance between Kate and Prince William captured public interest because people can relate to it, Harris said. The couple met at university, lived together, and even had a stint apart before tying the knot.
"There has been speculation that . . . there were concerns about her family because this wasn't a known family in royal or aristocratic circles," Harris said.
But it seems that Kate has endeared herself to the Queen and the rest of the family, Harris said, being loyal to the prince and discreet about their relationship. "She's really shown a willingness to involve herself in royal life," Harris said.
When it comes to happily-ever-after, though, the couple have opted for a less aristocratic lifestyle, at least until Prince William becomes king. The couple now lives in a farmhouse in Wales with only a part-time housekeeper while Prince William works as a search-and-rescue pilot.
Austen was born in England in 1775 and is known for novels that critically examine women's dependence on men for social standing and economic security. She was never married.
Source: canada
