Video LoadingVideo UnavailableClick to playTap to playThe video will auto-play soon8CancelPlay nowSign up to our free email to get all the latest royal news and picturesMore Newsletters SubscribePlease enter a valid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.More NewslettersWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More infoThank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow me See OurPrivacy Notice See OurPrivacy Notice×Group 28 Sign up to our free email to get all the latest royal news and picturesInvalid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.Sign UpNo thanks, closeWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info×Group 28Thank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow MeNo thanks, closeSee our
Privacy NoticeDiana, Princess of Wales forever changed the face of the Royal Family with her personable approach to duties and quickly managed to win over the hearts of the public. Looking back to July 1981, 20-year-old Lady Diana Spencer married the-then Prince Charles in a fairy-tale wedding at St Paul’s Cathedral after just a few meetings. Their union was more a match of their similar aristocratic backgrounds than of their personalities or compatibility. And, interestingly, despite the fact that the King hailed from centuries of ruling royalty, it was actually Diana who was considered to be the more aristocratic of the two.
King Charles and Lady Diana were matched based on their similar backgrounds
(Image: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Read More
Related Articles
William takes on ‘enforcer’ role and uses ‘disciplinarian’ methods with Harry
Read More
Related Articles
Unique reason Prince Louis could get Prince Andrew’s title one day
If you subscribe to the Six Degrees of Separation theory, you’ll believe that we are all just six or fewer social connections away from each other. This number certainly shrinks when the Royal Family are taken into account. For centuries, noble families were matched with other noble families in marriage to ensure lineage continuity. The result of these hundreds of arranged marriages is some very intriguing familial links. Lady Diana Frances Spencer was born into nobility on July 1, 1961 at Park House, located on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. She was the fourth child of five born to John Spencer, Earl Spencer and the Honourable Mrs Frances Shand Kydd.
Charles and Diana were 16th cousins and married in 1981
(Image: Getty Images)
The Spencers were close to the royals, with young Diana often playing with her future brothers-in-law, Princes Andrew and Edward at Sandringham House. The Spencer family has a long and illustrious history, having been allied with the Royal Family for centuries. Founded in the 15th century, the family boasts connections to monarchs such as Henry VIII and King George III. King Charles II, notorious for his numerous illegitimate children – he acknowledged 12, but it is suspected there could be over 14 – had two sons, Henry Fitzroy (b. 1663) and Charles Lennox (b. 1672), who were both distant relatives of Diana and the Spencer family.
The couple were married thanks to their aristocratic suitability, rather than love
(Image: Getty Images)
Diana’s lineage also traces back to King James II and the infamous Mary, Queen of Scots, a monarch whose life was steeped in tragedy, politics and controversy. This connection also made her a distant cousin of her husband Prince Charles, as they were both descendants of King Henry VII’s daughter, Margaret Tudor. While it’s well-known that Diana had strong ties to many centuries of notable royals, do her connections surpass those of the late Queen and King Charles? The King descends from an unbroken line of monarchy that spans over 1000 years – but what about their English ancestry and how direct is it?
Diana was a member of the aristocratic Spencer family
(Image: Getty Images)
After Queen Anne passed away in 1714, the nation found itself without a direct Protestant heir. This led to her closest living relative, King George I, taking the throne. King George I was thoroughly German and spoke very little English. With the now established links between England and Germany, other members of lesser German houses married into the Royal family, such as Queen Victoria’s mother, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. The German connections grew when Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg Gotha married Queen Victoria in 1840. So, despite King Charles being a descendant of many generations of royalty, Diana, Princess of Wales, had more English royal blood to her name than her former husband.Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnPrincess DianaRoyal FamilyKing Charles IIIQueen Elizabeth IIQueen Victoria
