Are Princess Diana and Camilla Parker Bowles Actually Related?
At one time Princess Diana and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall were friends but that all changed when the former found out Camilla was having an affair with Prince Charles.
Diana confronted Camilla directly at a party in 1989. The princess told Charles’ then-mistress that she knew what was going on between them. However, the heir apparent and Camilla continued to see each other and in 1992, Diana and Charles split. They ended up divorcing one year before Diana’s tragic death and to this day some people still have trouble seeing Camilla and not thinking of Diana. But are they connected by more than the love triangle that rocked the palace?
Read on to find out if and how the two women are related to each other.
Do Diana and Camilla share a bloodline?
Since sharing ancestors is so common in the royal family, fans have wondered if Princess Diana and Camilla are related. Well, turns out they are.
The Express reported that Charles’ former and current wife are descendants of Charles II who was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland during the 17th century. The ladies are descendants of Charles Lennox, who was the 1st Duke of Richmond and was an illegitimate son of Charles II. While Charles II did not have any legitimate children, the monarch acknowledged seven mistresses, which include Lennox’s mother, Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth. That makes Camilla and Diana seventh cousins.
Not only are the women related to each other but they are both related to Prince Charles as well.
The Prince of Wales and his first wife were 16th cousins once removed as descendants of Tudor King, Henry VII. They are also said to be 7th cousins once removed through William Cavendish, the 3rd Duke of Devonshire.
The future king and the Duchess of Cornwall are related via Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle, making them ninth cousins once removed, according to Ancestory.com.
Princess Diana is related to an American president
Princess Diana is related to former President George W. Bush as well. The late princess and the 43rd President of the United States are 11th cousins, twice removed.
When Prince Charles and Diana were still together they visited the Bush family on a number of occasions when they traveled to the U.S.
Camilla is related to a couple of huge celebrities
Camilla Parker Bowles has a common ancestor with Madonna.
The New England Historic Genealogical Society discovered that the duchess and the Material Girl are ninth cousins as they are both descendants of prominent French-Canadians Madeleine Ernard and Zacharie Cloutier.
The Metro noted that Celine Dion is also a descendant of the Cloutiers making all three of the women distant relatives to each another.
