The Spencer Family, Ancestry and Althorp 1: Ending Aug. 2023

[Denville]

Nobody seemed to answer my question about if Diana is related to any Irish noble families.
Here's a new question i have: Is she related to any Kings or Queens of Italy (that ruled after Italy unified)?

well yes, she is related to the Fermoys family, which is a peerage in the nobility of Ireland... her mother was the daughter of Baron Fermoy.

 

[QueenElizabeth2Fan]

Does anyone have a full list of all the royal houses Diana is (and isn't) related to? It would help my research!

 

[Ish]

Does anyone have a full list of all the royal houses Diana is (and isn't) related to? It would help my research!

If you send me a PM, I can send this to you when I get home from work today.

 

[QueenElizabeth2Fan]

Ish, I sent you a PM yesterday. Did you get it?

 

[Ish]

Sorry, QueenElizabeth2Fan, I didn't get home until late last night.

I can't list every royal house that Diana was related to... that's too vague of a request for me to be able to easily put together. To be frank, the Spencers are likely related in one way or another to every Royal house in Europe... as is pretty much anyone in Europe. "Related" is very relative (pun not intended), and trying to figure out how two people are related if it's not close is a massive nuisance unless you're using one of those databases that will search it for you. Diana's descended from Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, which means that she's related to Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel, who with her husband Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange, is the most recent common ancestor of every currently reigning European monarch as well as many of the non-reigning royal houses in Europe. Which means Diana's related to all of them, in one way or another.

That said, I can tell you some of the Royal Houses that Diana descended from, based on what I kept track of. I've made a complete ancestry chart for William and Kate, but as it's some 15,000 people large it's not easy to go through and make a list of every royal house that she descended from. I did make notes regarding specific houses though.

Through her father Diana was descended from:

• 21 English monarch
• 4 British monarchs
• 21 Scottish monarchs
• 12 Welsh monarchs
• 7 Wessex monarchs
• 17 Aragon monarchs
• 20 Castile monarchs
• 27 Leon monarchs
• 31 Navarre monarchs
• 23 Bohemian monarchs
• 17 Austrian monarchs
• 27 Holy Roman Emperors
• 18 Hungarian monarchs
• 19 Polish monarchs
• 10 Portugese monarchs
• 27 French monarchs
• 19 Norwegian monarchs
• 16 Swedish monarchs
• 18 Danish monarch

Through her mother Diana was descended from

• 18 English monarch
• 19 Scottish monarchs
• 12 Welsh monarchs
• 7 Wessex monarchs
• 8 Aragon monarchs
• 8 Castile monarchs
• 14 Leon monarchs
• 16 Navarre monarchs
• 17 Bohemian monarchs
• 9 Austrian monarchs
• 18 Holy Roman Emperors
• 14 Hungarian monarchs
• 13 Polish monarchs
• 3 Portugese monarchs
• 21 French monarchs
• 15 Norwegian monarchs
• 15 Swedish monarchs
• 14 Danish monarchs

That's not combined, as there are common ancestors within that. So, while Earl Spencer was descended from 21 English monarchs and Frances Roche was descended from 18, Prince William is only descended from 21 monarchs (not a combined 39).

 

[Denville]

really does it matter how many royals she is realted to or descended from? we know that she has Stuart blood on the wrong side of the blanket, I cant remember the details but it is as you say Ish a lot of work to decipher every single monarchy that she's related to...

 

[QueenElizabeth2Fan]

I remember reading a thread here, mentioning Maria Theresa, Empress of Austria.
Is Diana related to her?
I'm just wondering since the thread did not give an exact answer.

 

[Gawin]

meanwhile, Lady Diana's lineage stretches far back than Prince Philip's.. you see the House of Oldenburg only stretches as far back as 1101 while Lady Diana's lineage can be traced back as far back as 920..

here is Lady Diana's descent from ancient Norman Nobility..

• Raoul de Tancarville, 920-?, son of a "Tancrède de Norvège", who came to France with Duke Rollo
• Gérard de Tancarville, ?-?
• Gerard "Dapifer" de Tancarville, 1015-?
• Amaury d'Abetot, Norman nobleman, tenants of the lords of Tancarville in Normandy, ca 1066
• Robert Despenser, died after 1098, Royal Steward of King William II of England
• Wlliam Despenser, of Elington, Lincolnshire, born ca 1090
• Thurston le Despencer, born ca 1122
• Hugh Despencer, of Rhyale, Rutland, 1152-1199
• Thomas Despencer, of Elington, Lincolnshire, born 1169 (his fourth son was Hugh le Despenser I whose son Hugh was the ancestor of the medieval Despencer family).
• Geoffrey le Despencer, of Defford, Worcestershire, 1185-1242
• John le Despencer, 1235-1251
• William Spencer, of Defford, Worcestershire, (fl.c.1330), he changed his surname from the original french Le Despenser to the english Spencer
• John Spencer, of Defford, born 1310
• Nicholas Spencer, of Defford, born ca 1340
• Thomas Spencer, of Defford, born 1366
• Henry Spencer, of Badby, Northamptonshire, 1392-1476
• John Spencer, of Hodnell, 1420-?
• William Spencer, of Rodburn, Warwickshire, ?-1485
• Sir John Spencer, Kt. of Snitterfield & Althorp , 1447-1522
• Sir William Spencer, Kt. of Wormleighton & Althorp, 1483-1532, married Susan, daughter of Sir Richard Knightley, of Fawsley, Northamptonshire
• Sir John Spencer, Kt. of Wormleighton & Althorp, 1517-1586
• Sir John Spencer, Kt. of Wormleighton & Althorp, 1550-1599 married Mary, daughter of Sir Robert Catlyn
• Robert Spencer, 1st Baron Spencer of Wormleighton 1570-1627
• William Spencer, 2nd Baron Spencer of Wormleighton 1591–1636
• Henry Spencer, 1st Earl of Sunderland 1620–1643
• Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland 1640–1702
• Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland 1675–1722
• The Honorable John Spencer 1708-1746
• John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer 1734-1783
• George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer 1758-1834
• Frederick Spencer, 4th Earl Spencer 1798-1857
• Charles Spencer, 6th Earl Spencer 1857-1922
• Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer 1892-1975
• John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer 1924-1992
• Lady Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales 1961-1997

i remember reading a book where it was stated that Diana always reminds William that his Spencer forefathers can be traced back for a thousand years..

I'm a newbie, reading through these old posts on Diana's ancestry, and feel compelled to respond to some erroneous information. For example, the above pedigree is unproven. There is no evidence that Diana's Spencer family and the baronial Le Despencers belonged to the same family. See "Studies in Peerage and Family History" by J. Horace Round, available online at https://archive.org/stream/studiesinpeerage02rounuoft#page/278/mode/2up/

 

[Gawin]

thanks..


on the other hand, i found a connection to Diana with King Edward I of England and his wife Eleonor of Castile through their daughter, Elizabeth Plantagenet, Countess of Hereford.. here is the line..

• Edward I of England
• Elizabeth Plantagenet, Countess of Hereford
• William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton
• Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford
• Lady Eleanor de Bohun
• James Butler, 2nd Earl of Ormond
• Eleanor Butler, Countess of Desmond
• James FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Desmond
• Jane FitzGerald, Countess of Kildare
• Cormac na Haoine, 10th Prince of Carbery
• Lady Ellen MacCarthy Reagh
• William de Barry
• Helena de Barry
• Donal III O'Donovan,
• Donal IV O'Donovan
• Cornelius O'Donovan
• Honoria O'Donovan (great grandmother of Edmond Roche, 1st Baron Fermoy)
• Edward Roche
• Edmond Roche, 1st Baron Fermoy
• James Roche, 3rd Baron Fermoy
• Maurice Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy
• Frances Roche
• Diana, Princess of Wales

the only problem is the legitimacy of Lady Ellen MacCarthy Reagh.. in some sources says illegitimate, other sources says she's legitimate.. nevertheless, Direct descendant of Edward I of England and Eleonor of Castile..

i'll try to find other connection with Scottish royal with that of the Fermoy families..

This line is incorrect. The mother of Edward Roche and paternal grandmother of the 1st Baron Fermoy was Frances Coghlan NOT Honoria O'Donovan.

Honoria O'Donovan was the grandmother of Margaret Honoria Curtain, the wife of Edward Roche.

 

[Gawin]

I remember reading a thread here, mentioning Maria Theresa, Empress of Austria.
Is Diana related to her?
I'm just wondering since the thread did not give an exact answer.

Diana descended from Joanna of Austria (1547-1578), daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I. Joanna married Francesco de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and was the mother of Marie de Medici (1575-1642) who married Henry IV King of France.

Marie and Henry IV were the parents of Henrietta Maria (1609-1669) wife of King Charles I and mother of Charles II and James II, both of whom were Diana's ancestors via their illegitimate children.

The Empress Maria Theresa descended from three of Joanna's siblings: Anna (1528-1590), wife of Duke Albert V of Bavaria; Maria (1531-1581), wife of Duke William of Cleves-Julich-Berg; and Charles (1540-1590) who was the father of Emperor Ferdinand II.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip have a much closer relationship to Maria Theresa. Both descend from a sister of Empress Elizabeth Christina who was Maria Theresa's mother.

 

[Gawin]

the Windsors may enjoy more royal ancestors in the more previous generations but the Spencers actually have more royall ancestors of nominally higher rank in the more later generations.. why is that you may ask? well probably because the Spencers' have had more ancestors who were Kings and Emperors while the Windsors' royal ancestors includes mostly Dukes, Landragves and Counts.. we'll i guess it all goes to what one actually defines as "royal".."

This statement is incorrect. Prince Charles has more royal ancestors Diana. Yes, it is true that you can trace Diana's ancestry back to Kings and Emperors but the majority of them were Charles' ancestors too so that doesn't give Diana more royal ancestors. And his lines were on the right side of the blanket, capable of inheriting the throne, while many of Diana's were illegitimate. And finally, the vast majority of Diana's ancestors were *ruled by* Charles's.

I've compiled lists of monarchs unique to Diana's ancestry, and those who are unique to Charles's:

MONARCHS FROM WHOM DIANA DESCENDED FROM CHARLES DOES NOT

Diana inherited her "unique" royal lines through two ancestors: (1) Queen Henrietta Maria (1609-1669), wife of King Charles I and daughter of King Henry IV of France, and (2) Charlotte de La Tremoille (1599-1664) wife of James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby.

BRITAIN
Charles and Diana both descend from King James I (1566-1625). Diana also descended from his son Charles I (1600-1649) and Charles I's sons Charles II (1630-1685) and James II (1633-1701). She descended from Charles II through two of his illegitimate sons, Henry Fitzroy 1st Duke of Grafton (1663-1690) and Charles Lennox 1st Duke of Richmond (1672-1723), and from James II through his illegitimate daughter Henrietta FitzJames (c1669-1730).

Diana’s nearest British monarch from whom she descended in completely legitimate lines was Henry VII (1457-1509).

FRANCE
Charles and Diana both descend from King Charles VI of France (1368-1422). Diana also descended from Charles VII (1403-1461), through both Queen Henrietta Maria and Charlottte de La Tremoille, and from Henry IV (1553-1610), who was the father of Queen Henrietta Maria.

NAVARRE
Charles and Diana both descend from Queen Eleanor of Navarre (1426-1479). Through Queen Henrietta Maria Diana also descended from several of Eleanor’s successors: Catherine (1468-1517), Henry II (1503-1555), Joanna III (1528-1572), and Henry V (1553-1610) who later became Henry IV of France.

SPAIN
Charles and Diana both descend from Joanna Queen of Castile (1498-1555), daughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon (1452-1516) and Isabella I of Castile (1451-1504). Diana’s descent was through Queen Henrietta Maria. She also descended from Ferdinand’s uncle King Alfonso V of Aragon (1396-1458) through Charlotte de La Tremoille.

NAPLES
Diana’s ancestor Alfonso V of Aragon also ruled as King Alfonso I of Naples & Sicily. Her line goes through his illegitimate son King Ferdinand I of Naples (1423-1494) and Ferdinand’s son King Frederick IV (1452-1504).

CYPRUS
Charles and Diana both descend from King Hugh I of Cyprus (c1194-1218). Through Charlotte de La Tremoille Diana also descended from several of his successors: Hugh III (d. 1284), Hugh IV (1300-1359), James I (1334-1398), and Janus (c1374-1432).


MONARCHS FROM WHOM CHARLES DESCENDS BUT DIANA DID NOT

BRITAIN
Charles descends legitimately from several additional monarchs: George I (1660-1727), George II (1683-1760), George III (1738-1820), Victoria (1819-1901), Edward VII (1841-1910), George V (1865-1936), George VI (1894-1942), and Elizabeth II (born 1926).

GREECE
Charles is a descendant of King George I of the Hellenes (1845-1913).

DENMARK
Charles and Diana were both descendants of King Frederick II of Denmark (1534-1588). Charles also descends from Christian IV (1577-1648), Frederick III (1609-1670), Christian V (1646-1699), Frederick IV (1699-1746), Christian VI (1699-1746), Frederick V (1723-1766), and Christian IX (1818-1906).

SWEDEN
Charles descends from several Kings of Sweden: Gustaf I (1496-1560), Charles IX (1550-1611), Charles X (1622- 1660), Charles XI (1655-1697)

PRUSSIA
Charles descends from the following Kings of Prussia: Frederick I (1657-1713), Frederick William I (1688-1740), Frederick William II (1744-1797), Frederick William III (1770-1840)

RUSSIA
Charles descends from the following Emperors/Empresses of Russia: Michael (1596-1645), Alexis (1629-1676), Peter I (1672-1725), Catherine I (1684-1727), Peter III (1728-1762), Catherine II (1729-1796), Paul I (1754-1801), Nicholas I (1796-1855)

 

[Gawin]

I know that Diana is probably related to Jaquetta of Luxembourg. But, is Jaquetta an ancestor of the current Luxembourg Royal Family?

Yes, Jacquetta was the great-great-great-great-grandmother of King James I and VI (1566-1625) who is the ancestor of all the present-day European royal families, the Luxembourgs included.

Start here with Jacquetta and work your way down:

Jacquetta de Luxembourg: Genealogics

Many Spencers have almost sat the English/British throne..

First was Anne Stanley, Countess of Castlehaven, granddaughter of Sir John Spencer of Althorp, who was the heir presumptive to the English throne upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I according to the will of Henry VIII and the Third Succession Act..

Then we had the first Lady Diana Spencer who almost married Frederick, Prince of Wales.. Lady Diana was at the top of the list of eligible high society brides due to both her looks and her closeness to the tremendously rich Dowager Duchess of Marlborough.. Among her suitors were the grandson of the Duke of Somerset, the Viscount Weymouth, the Earl of Shaftesbury and the Earl of Chesterfield who noted that "The person, the merit and the family of Lady Diana Spencer are objects so valuable that they must necessarily have..." the marriage to the Prince of Wales was vetoed by the prime Minister and the King preferred a European match..

Third was the most previous Lady Diana Spencer who in 1981 did marry the Prince of Wales but the marriage sadly ended in divorce and her untimely death..

still, the second in line to the British throne is half Spencer..
.

A Spencer has sat on the British throne since 1936 when Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, wife of George VI, became Queen Consort. She was a descendant of Lady Dorothy Spencer (1640-1670) daughter of Henry Spencer 1st Earl of Sunderland and wife of George Savile 1st Viscount Halifax.

And of course when Elizabeth's husband died in 1952 her daughter Elizabeth II ascended the throne.

 

[Gawin]

never said that as well.. it is true that the Windsors also descends from the Kings of France and Holy Roman Emperors.. but those individuals are way back into their ancestry.. for example, the Windsors descends from Charles VI of France who ruled in 1380 and Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor who ruled in 1308.. if you can see, these kings and emperors were from such a distant relation unlike the Spencers who descends from King Henry IV of France who ruled in 1572 and Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor who ruled in 1526.. now from that we can say that the Spencers descends from all kings of France and Holy Roman Emperors before Henry IV and Ferdinand I, and that is 200 years or royal descent from kings and emperors compared to the Windsors..

This is inaccurate. The Windsors - both Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh - descend several times over from Emperor Ferdinand I's daughter Maria the wife of Duke William of Cleves-Julich-Berg. So no, their most recent Holy Roman Emperor ancestor wasn't Henry VII who died in 1308.

And Diana did NOT descend from ALL kings of France before Henry IV. Henry IV succeeded a very distant cousin as king. Diana descended from exactly TWO kings of France who weren't also ancestors of the Windsors.

 

[Pranter]

Gawin do you have a degree in history or do you do geneology as a profession?

Just curious! We have at least one other person here that has degrees in this area.


LaRae

 

[Gawin]

Gawin do you have a degree in history or do you do geneology as a profession?

Just curious! We have at least one other person here that has degrees in this area.


LaRae

Degree in history and genealogy as an obsession. ?

 

[Pranter]

Degree in history and genealogy as an obsession. ?

Cool! I love history and genealogy!


LaRae

 

[Gawin]

one great reason why Karoline was not chosen and was passed over for Sophia is because, Karoline was long dead by that time.. also, their marriage was done in Europe where the practice of morganatic marriage is strictly followed.. this would make their children legitimate, but does not possess any dynastic right to their father's claim.. i believe that the reason why Electress Sophia of Hanover was chosen because she's the senior most protestant relative of King James I.. but your are right, that Electress Sophia was not the senior most cognatic descendant of King James I to be protestant.. i believe it was Frederica Mildmay, Countess of Mértola, granddaughter of Charles I Louis of the Palatinate via her daughter Karoline of the Palatinate..

Electress Sophia being chosen as the heir is the best thing they can thing off.. despite of legitimate birth, Federica would be considered to low in rank to succeed Queen Anne.. plus, powerful countries such as the France, Spain, Modena and the Papal States still contest that James Francis Edward Stuart is the legitimate king.. declaring a mere countess of morganatic birth and who possessed no territorial power despite being of legitimate birth would weaken the claim for a new monarch.. Opposing countries would have a field day if parliament would chose Feredica as queen.. also, 56 people who had more legitimate hereditary claims were bypassed in favor of Sophia..
.

This is incorrect. The Act of Settlement chose Electress Sophia as heir because she was the nearest *legitimate* Protestant heir.

The children of Elector Charles Louis were *not* passed over because they were born from a morganatic marriage. England didn't recognize the concept of morganatic marriages. A commoner who married a royal became a royal and any children born from that marriage were entitled to inherit the royal parent's titles. For example, when George III's brother William Henry Duke of Gloucester married Maria Walpole, the illegitimate daughter of an Earl's son, she became HRH the Duchess of Gloucester, and their children were Princess Sophia and Prince William. William inherited his father's title and married his cousin Princess Mary, daughter of George III. Despite the fact that Maria was a commoner, and the marriage was opposed by George III, the marriage was considered equal, not morganatic.

This is why the Royal Marriages Act was passed, requiring permission from the sovereign to marry, in order to prevent more royal marriages to commoners who then became royal.

So, in the eyes of the English, the morganatic status of Charles Louis' children wasn't the issue. The real issue was their questionable legitimacy. Charles married their mother while his first wife was still alive, having granted himself a divorce. But the English didn't recognize the right of a sovereign to simply end his own marriage -look at the trouble Henry VIII went through with Catherine of Aragon not to mention George IV's failure when he wanted to divorce Caroline of Brunswick.

To sum it up, Charles Louis' second family was barred from the English throne because the English considered his marriage to be bigamous and the children born from it illegitimate.

 

[Countessmeout]

Look forward to more of your posts Gawin. French history has never been my area, but I am fascinated. Glad to see you joining the fray

 

[Gawin]

I have a couple questions:
Is Diana directly related to:
1) Deborah Mitford, Duchess of Devonshire?;
2) The Monegasque Royal Family?;
3) One of Lady Jane Grey's relatives?;
and
4) Lucrezia Borgia? I know she's related to Caterina Sforza, which is why I'm asking.
and, finally:
5) Does she have any Byzantine lineage?

I've tried Googling "Princess Diana Ancestry" and I've only found one or two interesting articles, but they mention the Windsor side and/or Diana's other ancestries.

#1 - DEBORAH MITFORD DUCHESS OF DEVONSHIRE

Diana and Deborah Duchess of Devonshire were very distant cousins. I believe you would need to go back to the 17th century to find a common ancestor.

There was a much closer connection through Deborah’s husband Andrew the 11th Duke of Devonshire:

James Hamilton 1st Duke of Abercorn (1811-1885) > James Hamilton 2nd Duke of Abercorn (1838-1913) > James Hamilton 3rd Duke of Abercorn (1869-1953) > Lady Cynthia Hamilton (1897-1972) > John Spencer 8th Earl Spencer (1924-1992) > Lady Diana Spencer (1961-1997)

James Hamilton 1st Duke of Abercorn (1811-1885) > Lady Maud Hamilton (1850-1932) > Lady Evelyn Petty FitzMaurice (1870-1960) > Edward Cavendish 10th Duke of Devonshire (1895-1950) > Andrew Cavendish 11th Duke of Devonshire (1920-2004)


#2 - MONESQUE ROYAL FAMILY

James Hamilton 6th Earl of Abercorn (d. 1734) > James Hamilton 7th Earl of Abercorn (1685-1744) > Hon. John Hamilton (1714-1755) > John Hamilton 1st Marquess of Abercorn (1756-1818) > James Hamilton Viscount Hamilton (1786-1814) > James Hamilton 1st Duke of Abercorn (1811-1885) > James Hamilton 2nd Duke of Abercorn (1838-1913) > James Hamilton 3rd Duke of Abercorn (1869-1953) > Lady Cynthia Hamilton (1897-1972) > John Spencer 8th Earl Spencer (1924-1992) > Lady Diana Spencer (1961-1997)

James Hamilton 6th Earl of Abercorn (d. 1734) > Hon. George Hamilton > Maria Hamilton (1724-1798) > William Thomas Beckford (1759-1844) > Susan Beckford (1786-1859) > William Douglas-Hamilton 11th Duke of Hamilton & 8th Duke of Brandon (1811-1863) > Lady Mary Douglas-Hamilton (1850-1922) > Louis II Prince of Monaco (1870-1949) > Charlotte Duchess de Valentinois (1898-1977) > Rainier III Prince of Monaco (1923-2005) > Albert II Prince of Monaco (b. 1958)

#3 - RELATIVE OF LADY JANE GREY

Diana descended from Lady Jane Grey’s sister Catherine (1540-1568) who married (in secret) Edward Seymour 1st Earl of Hertford.

#4 – LUCREZIA BORGIA

As far as I can tell they weren’t blood relatives but Diana was related to two of Lucrezia’s three husbands (who happened to be first cousins).

#2 Alfonso d’Aragon, Duke of Bisceglie (d. 1500), illegitimate son of King Alfonso II of Naples whose brother King Frederick IV was Diana’s ancestor.

#3 Alfonso d’Este, Duke of Ferrara & Modena (1476-1534), son of Leonora of Naples whose brother King Frederick IV was Diana’s ancestor.

#5 BYZANTINE LINEAGE

Yes – Diana has several lines of descent from the Byzantine Emperors (as does her former husband Charles).

To give just one example, she descended from Emperor Andronikos II Paliologus (1259-1332) who married (as his second wife) Yolande of Montferrat. Their son Theodore (c1290-1338) succeeded as Marquis of Montferrat and was the ancestor of Queen Henrietta Maria (1609-1669) wife of Charles I, who were Diana’s ancestors.

 

[Lee-Z]

Very interesting posts Gawin, thank you for sharing!

 

[Gawin]

This statement is incorrect. Prince Charles has more royal ancestors Diana. Yes, it is true that you can trace Diana's ancestry back to Kings and Emperors but the majority of them were Charles' ancestors too so that doesn't give Diana more royal ancestors. And his lines were on the right side of the blanket, capable of inheriting the throne, while many of Diana's were illegitimate. And finally, the vast majority of Diana's ancestors were *ruled by* Charles's.

I've compiled lists of monarchs unique to Diana's ancestry, and those who are unique to Charles's:

Oops - I need to make three corrections:

Charles also descends from King Charles VII of France (1403-1461). So Diana only descended from one King of France from whom the Windsors don't also descend - Henry IV (1553-1610).

Charles also descends from Queen Catherine of Navarre (1468-1517) so she isn't unique to Diana's ancestry.

I also need to add one more King of Sweden to Charles's ancestry: Charles II/VIII (1408-1470).

 

[QueenElizabeth2Fan]

Is Diana related to any of the Knollys children that Catherine Carey was mother of?
And is she also related to the Earls of Essex?

 

[Gawin]

Is Diana related to any of the Knollys children that Catherine Carey was mother of?
And is she also related to the Earls of Essex?

Yes, Diana was a direct descendant of Catherine (Carey) Knollys and Catherine's grandson the Earl of Essex.

So is Queen Elizabeth II, through her mother (Queen Mother), who was born Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.

 

[QueenElizabeth2Fan]

Gawin, is Diana related to the Portuguese and Monegasque royal families?

 

[Gawin]

Yes, she was related to both. Because all these royal and noble families intermarried several times over there are multiple relationships but here are the ones I came up with:

PORTUGAL

Charles I (1600-1649) > Charles II (1630-1685) > Henry FitzRoy 1st Duke of Grafton (1663-1690) > Charles FitzRoy 2nd Duke of Grafton (1683-1757) > Lady Isabella FitzRoy (1726-1782) > Admiral Lord Hugh Seymour (1759-1801) > Col. Sir Horace Beauchamp Seymour (1791-1851) > Adelaide Horatia Elizabeth Seymour (1825-1877) > Charles Robert Spencer 6th Earl of Spencer (1857-1922) > Albert Edward John Spencer 7th Earl Spencer (1892-1975) > John Spencer 8th Earl Spencer (1924-1992) > Diana Princess of Wales (1961-1997)

Charles I (1600-1649) > Henrietta Anne (1644-1670) > Anne-Marie of Orleans (1669-1728) > Marie Adelaide of Savoy (1685-1712) > Louis XV of Frances (1710-1774) > Louise-Elisabeth (1727-1759) > Maria Luisa of Parma (1751-1819) > Carlota Joaquina of Spain (1775-1830) > Miguel of Portugal Duke of Braganza (1802-1866) > Miguel Duke of Braganza (1853-1927) > Duarte Nino Duke of Braganza, claimant to Portuguese throne (1907-1976) > Duarte Pio Duke of Braganza, current claimant to Portuguese throne (b. 1945)

MONACO

James Hamilton 6th Earl of Abercorn (d. 1734) > James Hamilton 7th Earl of Abercorn (1685-1744) > Hon. John Hamilton (1714-1755) > John Hamilton 1st Marquess of Abercorn (1756-1818) > James Hamilton Viscount Hamilton (1786-1814) > James Hamilton 1st Duke of Abercorn (1811-1885) > James Hamilton 2nd Duke of Abercorn (1838-1913) > James Hamilton 3rd Duke of Abercorn (1869-1953) > Lady Cynthia Hamilton (1897-1972) > John Spencer 8th Earl Spencer (1924-1992) > Diana Princess of Wales (1961-1997)

James Hamilton 6th Earl of Abercorn (d. 1734) > Hon. George Hamilton > Maria Hamilton (1724-1798) > William Thomas Beckford (1759-1844) > Susan Beckford (1786-1859) > William Douglas-Hamilton 11th Duke of Hamilton & 8th Duke of Brandon (1811-1863) > Lady Mary Douglas-Hamilton (1850-1922) > Louis II Prince of Monaco (1870-1949) > Charlotte Duchess de Valentinois (1898-1977) > Rainier III Prince of Monaco (1923-2005) > Albert II Prince of Monaco (b. 1958)

 

[QueenElizabeth2Fan]

One more thing:
I tried to search and see if Diana was related to any Irish, Scottish, Habsburg or Russian monarchs/nobles. I couldn't find anything.
Was she related to any of the four, if not all?

 

[Gawin]

Irish & Scottish - yes, the Spencers belonged to the English nobility and married into other noble families including Scottish & Irish, also Welsh for tht matter. Also, Diana was a descendant of King James I (also James VI of Scotland), son of Mary Queen of Scots and Henry Lord Darnley from the Scottish nobility.

Habsburg; yes, she was a descendant of Archduchess Johanna, the daughter of Emperor Ferdinand I. Here's one line:

Ferdinand I (1503-1564) > Johanna (1547-1578) > Marie de Medici (1575-1642) > Henrietta Maria (1609-1669) > King Charles II (1630-1685) > (follow the line I posted above)

Russia: Yes, through her royal ancestors (including James I of England and Henry IV of Frances) she descended from the Rurik dynasty who ruled in Russia during the middle ages.

Check this website for a list of Diana's ancestors for 12 generations. Click on a name for information about that person:

Lady Diana Spencer: Genealogics

 

[QueenElizabeth2Fan]

How many UK noble families (marchionesses, earls, dukes, etc.) is Diana descended from?
And I also have the book "Ancestry of the Royal Child" by Iain Moncreiffe. How much of what is written in the book is still proven uncertain?

 

[Osipi]

For the life of me, I can't remember if I've posted this or not but its a real hoot when you get the connection.

I see you're in New Jersey. This is fun to do. On Wednesday nights, there is a show on NBC called "Chicago Med". If you tune into that show and see a character called Dr. Daniel Charles, a psychiatrist, he is played by Oliver Platt who just happens to be related to Diana, Princess of Wales in several ways.

Most people forget that Diana had pretty recent American ancestry too.

https://famouskin.com/famous-kin-ch...iver+platt&via=6317+james+boothby+burke+roche

https://famouskin.com/famous-kin-ch...princess+diana&via=3693+edward+iii+of+england

 

[Rudolph]

Well the Spencer-Churchills are one of the grandest families in the realm.

The senior line is the Duke of Marlborough, the cadet family line is Earl Spencer.

Diana is well connected.