Kate Middleton's Genealogy sassy jane genealogy

Courtesy The Royal Forums

Kate Middleton’s genealogy is fascinating. I’m getting ready for the royal wedding  by reading up on her family tree. My husband thinks I’m crazy, but I love a good royal wedding.

Yes, I watched Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Daniel Westling’s wedding on the Web last summer. He’s from the same province as my ancestors, so I was obligated, of course. And they were nice enough to put his family tree up at Svensk Arkivinformation (SVAR). (No, unfortunately we’re not related.)

So I was happy to hear about Prince William and Kate Middleton getting engaged. I know there was a little flap last summer when a biographer found a link to a black sheep member of the Middleton family tree.

Since the engagement announcement, genealogists have been quick to establish that William and Kate are 12th cousins once removed through their common ancestor – the 16th century soldier Sir Thomas Leighton. (By contrast, William’s grandparents, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are third cousins, descended through Queen Victoria.)

Someone left this Middleton lineage on the comments section of a wire story, so I cannot provide attribution, but it’s interesting indeed:

  1. Edward III, King of England (b. 1312 d. 1377) m. Philippa of Hainault (b. 1314 d. 1369)
  2. John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (b. 1340 d. 1399) m. Catherine Roet (b. 1350 d. 10 May 1403)
  3. Ralph Nevill, Earl of Westmorland (b. Abt 1364 d. m. Joan Beaufort
  4. Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland (b. 3 Feb 1393 d. 23 May 1455) m. Eleanor Nevill (d. 1463)
  5. Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland (b. 25 Jul 1421 d. 29 Mar 1461) m. Eleanor Poynings (b. Abt 1422 d. Abt Feb 1483)
  6. Sir William Gascoigne of Gawthorpe (d. 4 Mar 1487) m. Margaret Percy
  7. Sir Thomas Fairfax (d. 1520) m. Anne Gascoigne
  8. William Fairfax m. ?
  9. William Fairfax m. Lucy Goodman
  10. John Fairfax m. Mary Birch
  11. Benjamin Fairfax (1592-1675) m. Sarah Galliard
  12. Benjamin Fairfax (d 1708) m. Bridget Stringer
  13. John Meadows (d 1697) m. Sarah Fairfax (1654-1688)
  14. Philip Meadows (1679-1752) m. Margaret Hall (1691-1765)
  15. David Martineau (1726-1768) m. Sarah Meadows (1725-1800)
  16. Thomas Martineau (1764-1826) m. Elizabeth Rankin (1771-1848)
  17. Thomas Greenhow (1792-1881) m. Elizabeth Martineau (1794-1850)
  18. Francis Lupton (1813-1884) m. Elizabeth Greenhow (1821-1892)
  19. Francis Lupton (1848-1921) m. Harriet Davis (1850-1892)
  20. Richard Middleton (1878-1921) m. Olive Lupton (1881-1936)
  21. Peter Middleton (1920-) m. Valerie Glassborow (1924-2006)
  22. Michael Middleton (1949-) m. Carole Goldsmith (1955-)
  23. Catherine Middleton (1982-)

Update: A probable direct line from Henry VIII to Catherine Middleton has been established.

And the New England Historic Genealogical Society has proven Middleton’s ties to George Washington, Meriwether Lewis, and George Patton.