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© Getty Images
0 / 27 Fotos
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother
- King George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon had a reasonable family distance between them. They were 13th cousins.
© Getty Images
1 / 27 Fotos
King George V and Queen Mary
- George V and Mary of Teck shared a great-grandparent, making them second cousins.
© Getty Images
2 / 27 Fotos
William and Kate
- Kate Middleton might be a commoner, but she is still related to Prince William. They are actually 11th cousins once removed.
© Getty Images
3 / 27 Fotos
William and Kate
- All because of Sir William Blakiston, a Baronet whose peerage Kate Middleton didn't inherit.
© Getty Images
4 / 27 Fotos
King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra
- Following the footsteps of his mother (Queen Victoria), King Edward VII also married his cousin, though he and Alexandra of Denmark were third cousins.
© Getty Images
5 / 27 Fotos
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
- Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had the same grandfather, Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. This makes them first cousins.
© Getty Images
6 / 27 Fotos
Harry and Meghan - This might come as a surprise for many people, but Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are reportedly distant cousins.
© Getty Images
7 / 27 Fotos
Harry and Meghan
- The couple is related via the High Sheriff of County Durham, Ralph Bowes, a 15th century ancestor of the Queen Mother.
© Getty Images
8 / 27 Fotos
Charles and Diana
- Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were actually seventh cousins once removed.
© Getty Images
9 / 27 Fotos
Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones
- The Earl of Wessex is married to Sophie Rhys-Jones. They are 11th cousins.
© Getty Images
10 / 27 Fotos
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are both related through Queen Victoria. This makes them third cousins.
© Getty Images
11 / 27 Fotos
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
- But they're also both related to King Christian IX of Denmark. Prince Philip had the same great-grandfather as Queen Elizabeth's father. So, this makes them also second cousins once removed.
© Getty Images
12 / 27 Fotos
King George IV and Caroline of Brunswick
- King George IV and Caroline of Brunswick were first cousins. They married in 1795, but separated one year later.
© Getty Images
13 / 27 Fotos
Philip II of Spain and Queen Mary I of England
- Philip II of Spain and his wife were first cousins once removed.
© Getty Images
14 / 27 Fotos
Henry VII and Elizabeth of York
- King Henry VII married his third cousin, Elizabeth of York.
© Getty Images
15 / 27 Fotos
The Spanish Habsburgs
- The House of Habsburg is particularly known for intermarriage. They're famed for a genetic trait known as mandibular prognathism (pronounced jaw) as a result.
© Getty Images
16 / 27 Fotos
The Spanish Habsburgs
- Intermarriage in the family led to some really complex and bizarre situations. For instance, Charles II of Spain's mother, Mariana of Austria, was also the niece of his father, Philip IV of Spain.
© Public Domain
17 / 27 Fotos
Empress Elisabeth and Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria
- The emperor married his 16-year-old first cousin, famously known as Sisi.
© Getty Images
18 / 27 Fotos
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily
- They both had the same set of grandparents, making them double first cousins.
© Getty Images
19 / 27 Fotos
Maria I of Portugal and Pedro III of Portugal
- Maria I of Portugal married her uncle, Pedro, who was her father's brother.
© Getty Images
20 / 27 Fotos
Princess Victoria Melita
- Princess Victoria Melita married her first cousin, Grand Duke Ernest of Hesse. She then got divorced and married another cousin, the Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia.
© Getty Images
21 / 27 Fotos
The Guangxu Emperor
- The Guangxu Emperor, from China, married his first cousin, Xiao Ding Jing.
© Getty Images
22 / 27 Fotos
Chulalongkorn, King of Siam
- It is estimated that Chulalongkorn, King of Siam (Thailand) had 153 wives, consorts, and concubines. Among them were his four half-sisters.
© Getty Images
23 / 27 Fotos
King Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III) and Princess Nahi'ena'ena
- It is believed that Kamehameha (the founder and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii) and his sister Nahi'ena'ena married in secret.
© Getty Images
24 / 27 Fotos
Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII
- The two were brother and sister and became co-rulers of Ancient Egypt.
© Getty Images
25 / 27 Fotos
See also - Iconic women who married into royalty
© Getty Images
26 / 27 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 27 Fotos
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother
- King George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon had a reasonable family distance between them. They were 13th cousins.
© Getty Images
1 / 27 Fotos
King George V and Queen Mary
- George V and Mary of Teck shared a great-grandparent, making them second cousins.
© Getty Images
2 / 27 Fotos
William and Kate
- Kate Middleton might be a commoner, but she is still related to Prince William. They are actually 11th cousins once removed.
© Getty Images
3 / 27 Fotos
William and Kate
- All because of Sir William Blakiston, a Baronet whose peerage Kate Middleton didn't inherit.
© Getty Images
4 / 27 Fotos
King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra
- Following the footsteps of his mother (Queen Victoria), King Edward VII also married his cousin, though he and Alexandra of Denmark were third cousins.
© Getty Images
5 / 27 Fotos
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
- Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had the same grandfather, Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. This makes them first cousins.
© Getty Images
6 / 27 Fotos
Harry and Meghan - This might come as a surprise for many people, but Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are reportedly distant cousins.
© Getty Images
7 / 27 Fotos
Harry and Meghan
- The couple is related via the High Sheriff of County Durham, Ralph Bowes, a 15th century ancestor of the Queen Mother.
© Getty Images
8 / 27 Fotos
Charles and Diana
- Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were actually seventh cousins once removed.
© Getty Images
9 / 27 Fotos
Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones
- The Earl of Wessex is married to Sophie Rhys-Jones. They are 11th cousins.
© Getty Images
10 / 27 Fotos
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
- Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are both related through Queen Victoria. This makes them third cousins.
© Getty Images
11 / 27 Fotos
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
- But they're also both related to King Christian IX of Denmark. Prince Philip had the same great-grandfather as Queen Elizabeth's father. So, this makes them also second cousins once removed.
© Getty Images
12 / 27 Fotos
King George IV and Caroline of Brunswick
- King George IV and Caroline of Brunswick were first cousins. They married in 1795, but separated one year later.
© Getty Images
13 / 27 Fotos
Philip II of Spain and Queen Mary I of England
- Philip II of Spain and his wife were first cousins once removed.
© Getty Images
14 / 27 Fotos
Henry VII and Elizabeth of York
- King Henry VII married his third cousin, Elizabeth of York.
© Getty Images
15 / 27 Fotos
The Spanish Habsburgs
- The House of Habsburg is particularly known for intermarriage. They're famed for a genetic trait known as mandibular prognathism (pronounced jaw) as a result.
© Getty Images
16 / 27 Fotos
The Spanish Habsburgs
- Intermarriage in the family led to some really complex and bizarre situations. For instance, Charles II of Spain's mother, Mariana of Austria, was also the niece of his father, Philip IV of Spain.
© Public Domain
17 / 27 Fotos
Empress Elisabeth and Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria
- The emperor married his 16-year-old first cousin, famously known as Sisi.
© Getty Images
18 / 27 Fotos
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily
- They both had the same set of grandparents, making them double first cousins.
© Getty Images
19 / 27 Fotos
Maria I of Portugal and Pedro III of Portugal
- Maria I of Portugal married her uncle, Pedro, who was her father's brother.
© Getty Images
20 / 27 Fotos
Princess Victoria Melita
- Princess Victoria Melita married her first cousin, Grand Duke Ernest of Hesse. She then got divorced and married another cousin, the Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia.
© Getty Images
21 / 27 Fotos
The Guangxu Emperor
- The Guangxu Emperor, from China, married his first cousin, Xiao Ding Jing.
© Getty Images
22 / 27 Fotos
Chulalongkorn, King of Siam
- It is estimated that Chulalongkorn, King of Siam (Thailand) had 153 wives, consorts, and concubines. Among them were his four half-sisters.
© Getty Images
23 / 27 Fotos
King Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III) and Princess Nahi'ena'ena
- It is believed that Kamehameha (the founder and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii) and his sister Nahi'ena'ena married in secret.
© Getty Images
24 / 27 Fotos
Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII
- The two were brother and sister and became co-rulers of Ancient Egypt.
© Getty Images
25 / 27 Fotos
See also - Iconic women who married into royalty
© Getty Images
26 / 27 Fotos
Royals who married their relatives
Did you know Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are related?
© Getty Images
For centuries, marriage had little to do with love, and a lot to do with power. Royals would make arrangements that would serve them both politically and financially, and this often included marrying a relative. While modern royals are now, more often than not, marrying commoners, intermarriage between royals still happens.
Browse though the following gallery and be surprised by the royals who married their relatives.
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