Prince George, currently second in line to the British throne, possesses a trait genealogists say hasn't been seen in a future king for centuries.
The unique trait
Genealogist Anthony Adolph explained that George will become the first monarch descended from a non-aristocratic mother since William the Conqueror. He wrote in a blog post: "Prince George has all the royal ancestry of his father, but unlike all previous monarchs since William the Conqueror, this future monarch will have half his ancestry from perfectly normal families, across the whole spectrum of society and from across the whole of England." Adolph noted that Kate Middleton's ancestry includes lorry drivers, coal miners, agricultural labourers, industrial workers, servants, carpenters, and clerks, alongside bank managers, cloth manufacturers, clergymen, and mayors, meaning thousands of genealogists across Britain have been able to trace family links to the young royal through Middleton's side of the family.
Why this is significant
Kate Middleton grew up in a middle-class household and, by historical royal standards, would likely have been considered a "commoner" in earlier centuries. This makes George, along with his siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, notably more removed from purely aristocratic lineage than previous heirs, including their father, Prince William, whose mother, the late Princess Diana, came from the aristocratic Spencer family.
A changing monarchy
Adolph suggested this shift reflects a broader change in how the modern royal family relates to the wider public, writing: "The modern royal family is reverting to an older model, whereby monarchs, rather than being genealogically isolated from their people, are very much the head of the greater families of their nations. The marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton provides new royal links for countless people with 'ordinary' British blood and creates an exciting focus for many family trees."
