Meghan Markle was born in California and is the daughter of two film industry veterans. Prince Harry, obviously, hails from England and is an heir to the British throne. Their backgrounds are wildly different, but a new report from the Daily Mail reveals Meghan and Prince Harry have more in common than they think. Are you ready for this? According to the publication, they’re cousins — albeit incredibly distant ones. (Fifteenth cousins, to be exact.)
It’s important to remember that being fifteenth cousins with someone really doesn’t mean much. We’re, like, 80 percent positive everyone is related to everyone if you look back far enough — so don’t let this news stop you from shipping Meghan and Prince Harry.
It is an interesting tidbit, though. A genealogical investigation conducted by the Daily Mail shows Meghan and Prince Harry are related through a late fifteenth-century ancestor of the Queen Mother. His name is Ralph Bowes, a high sheriff of County Durham, who lived from 1480 to 1516. Bowes’ grandson, Christopher Hussey, was a founder of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and his lineage led to the birth of Meghan.
Meanwhile, Bowes’ great-grandson, Sir George Bowes, became a member of Parliament during King Charles II’s reign; he and Prince Harry are directly connected — just generations apart. Interesting, right? (You can read the Daily Mail’s full genealogical report here.)
Meghan and Prince Harry began dating in October 2016. Their relationship is meticulously covered despite the fact they rarely discuss it publicly themselves. “We’re a couple,” Meghan told Vanity Fair over the summer. “We’re in love. I’m sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope what people will understand is that this is our time. This is for us. It’s part of what makes it so special, that it’s just ours. But we’re happy. Personally, I love a great love story.”
