Wednesday, October 18, 2000 - Web posted at 7:47:43 AM GMT
Bush beats Gore in 'blue blood' stakes
LONDON - If royal genes have anything to do with electoral success, then Republican US presidential candidate George W Bush will be the next man in the White House, Britain's blue blood bible said yesterday (Tues 17 oct).
Burke's Peerage, a revered guide to the breeding of the aristocracy, said both Bush and his rival Al Gore are of royal descent, but investigations deep into their heritage show Bush has far more noble and royal connections.
Bush is closely related to every European monarch on and off the throne - including the King of Albania - and has kinship with every member of Britain's royal family, the House of Windsor.
He is a 13th cousin of Britain's Queen Mother, and of her daughter Queen Elizabeth and is a 13th cousin once removed of the heir to the throne, Prince Charles.
Bush's family tree can be documented as far back as the early 15th century.
He has a direct descent from Henry III and from Henry VIII's sister Mary Tudor, who was also the wife of Louis XI of France.
He is also descended from Charles II of England.
"It is now clear that Mr Gore and Mr Bush have an unusually large number of royal and noble descents," said Harold Brooks-Baker, publishing director of Burke's Peerage.
"In point of fact, never in the history of the United States have two presidential candidates been as well endowed with royal alliances.
"Brooks-Baker said there had always been a significant "royalty factor" in those who aspired to the White House, with Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Franklin and Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan, among others, all boasting blue blood links.
Democrat candidate Gore, who is currently lagging Bush by one point in opinion polls ahead of US elections in November (44 per cent to Gore's 43 per cent), has a less illustrious gene pool.
Being a descendant of Edward I, he is also a cousin of former US president Richard Nixon, who resigned from the White House in 1974 for his part in the Watergate scandal.
But Gore does have direct links to the holy Roman Empire.
He is a descendant of Roman Emperors Louis II, Charles II and Louis I and is therefore also a direct descendant of Charlemagne - the eight-century Emperor.
The problem is, Gore's Charlemagne links also make him a cousin of George W Bush.- Nampa-Reuters
(Also Another report, on Princess Diana's side.)
ABC Online
AM - Sir Winston Bush?
http://www.abc.net.au/am/s680357.htm>
AM - Thursday, 19 September , 2002 8:17 Reporter: Matt Peacock ELEANOR HALL: There's been some intriguing news of a personal nature for the United States President today.
George W. Bush, whose fondness for British war-time Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill is well known, can now rightly claim they're related.
That's according to one of America's largest on-line genealogical companies, "my family.com", which says they have a common ancestor in a fifteenth century Northamptonshire squire, Henry Spencer.
And through the same family tree, it's suggested the President can also claim a connection to the British royal family.
From London, Matt Peacock reports.
MATT PEACOCK: Many Britons thought that the recent comparisons between the sometimes linguistically challenged Texan and Sir Winston were taking things just a little too far.
But now, from "ancestry.com", the terrible news.
TROY DUNN: They're family. President Bush, we found in his family history, is actually related to Winston Churchill, who's always been one of President Bush's heroes. And as we went through that Winston Churchill genealogy and President Bush's genealogy, we also started finding links over here to the United Kingdom.
And because we're launching a site over here, so that when we had a look into some of the royalty around this area, never, never, never thinking there would be any connection back across the pond, and as we started working on it, we found that Prince William, the future King of England, is related to Winston Churchill.
And we stopped and looked at each other and said, you've got to be kidding me, and we said, well, dig on.
So we dug on and then we found the results and handed it off to three of our best worldwide experts in genealogy and said, please tell us this is not correct because we're certain that the people of the UK will have a heart attack.
And turns out that it is absolutely true that President Bush, George W. Bush, President of the United States of America, is indeed cousin to Prince William, future King of England.
MATT PEACOCK: It's a pretty remote kind of cousin, though, isn't it?
TROY DUNN: Yeah, well you'd certainly have to peel down about 10 layers before you'd see the connection and it goes…
MATT PEACOCK: How far back does it go exactly?
TROY DUNN: It goes back, it's about 10 generations back. It goes through the Spencer line, which is through Princess Diana. So some people, you know, in the Royal family might find some peace in that, I suppose, that it does go through the Spencer line as opposed to the, Prince Charles's line, but that, that's the connection. So Princess, through Princess Diana down through Prince Wills.
MATT PEACOCK: How do you think the news will play out for President Bush in the States?
TROY DUNN: Well, you know, I believe President Bush has nothing but love and admiration for the Royal Family. I would imagine that he might receive it better than the other side will.
MATT PEACOCK: What's the response been by people here in Britain?
TONY DUNN: I'm having to pick people up off the floor. I try to reassure everybody the fact that they're cousins doesn't mean President Bush is in line for the throne.
MATT PEACOCK: Troy Dunn from ancestry.co.uk and Buckingham Palace has made no comment. From London, this is Matt Peacock for AM.
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