The royal family of the United Kingdom has a long and complex history stretching back over a thousand years. While the family is often associated with England, there are in fact strong Scottish roots in the royal bloodline. Questions about the Scottish ancestry of the royals have intrigued historians and royal watchers for generations. In this article, we will explore the evidence around whether today’s royal family has Scottish blood.
The origins of the royal family
To understand the Scottish connections in the royal family tree, we need to go back to the origins of the English royal dynasty. The current British royal house belongs to the House of Windsor, which can trace its roots back to the reign of King George V in the early 20th century. However, prior to the Windsors, the royal family belonged to the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. This ruling dynasty held the British throne from 1901 to 1917 and originated from German nobility.
Going further back in time, the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha descended from the House of Hanover, which provided British monarchs from 1714 to 1901, starting with King George I. The Hanover line stems from the House of Stuart, which ruled Scotland and England from the early 1600s until 1714. It is here that we find the significant Scottish heritage that continues to run in the royal blood to this day.
The House of Stuart
The House of Stuart originated in Scotland and came to power in the late 14th century. The sixth Stewart king, James VI of Scotland, later inherited the English throne in 1603. At this point, the ruling houses of Scotland and England were united under a single monarch. James VI became known as King James I of England, thus combining the Scottish and English crowns for the first time. From then on, the royal bloodline contained a critical mass of Scottish DNA passed down through generations.
After James I/VI, his son Charles I and grandson James II/VII continued the Scottish Stuart dynasty in England. However, political and religious clashes led to the overthrowing of James II in the Glorious Revolution in 1688. After this point, James II’s Protestant daughter Mary and her Dutch husband William of Orange took over the throne.
Although the ruling monarch was no longer directly Scottish, the Scottish Stuart blood persisted in the royal lineage through James II’s two daughters:
– Mary II (1662-1694) – She ruled jointly with her husband William III until her death in 1694.
– Anne (1665-1714) – She ruled from 1702 to 1714 and was the last monarch of the House of Stuart.
Despite no longer carrying the Stuart name, Mary II and Anne passed their Scottish royal blood to the descendants that followed.
The Hanover dynasty
After the childless death of Anne in 1714, the British throne passed over to the House of Hanover. This German royal house descended from James I/VI’s daughter Elizabeth, who married Frederick V, Elector of the Palatinate. Although the dynasty is named after the German region of Hanover, it carried the Scottish Stuart genetics from Elizabeth down to Queen Victoria in the 19th century.
Some key monarchs that demonstrate the continuity of the Stuart Scottish DNA include:
– George I (1660-1727) – First Hanoverian king of Great Britain and Ireland from 1714-1727. Son of Sophia of Hanover, granddaughter of James I/VI.
– George II (1683-1760) – King from 1727-1760, carrying the Stuart blood of his father George I.
– George III (1738-1820) – King from 1760-1820, he passed the Stuart ancestry to his nine children, including heir apparent George IV.
– Queen Victoria (1819-1901) – As a granddaughter of George III, she inherited his Scottish Stuart DNA. Married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, passing the lineage into this ruling house.
The Windsors
In 1917, due to strong anti-German sentiment during World War I, the royals changed their name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor. This created the current House of Windsor that continues today. Despite the name switch, the Windsor line stems directly from the Hanover and Stuart bloodlines before them. The Scottish heritage survives through the following modern monarchs:
– King George V (1865–1936) – He founded the House of Windsor, passing his Stuart genetics to his four sons.
– King George VI (1895–1952) – As the son of George V, he carried forward the Scottish lineage to Queen Elizabeth II.
– Queen Elizabeth II (b. 1926) – The current queen remains part of an unbroken Scottish royal bloodline passed down through centuries of royals.
– Prince Charles (b. 1948) – The first in line to the British throne also carries Stuart DNA inherited from his mother.
– Prince William (b. 1982) – Second in line after his father Charles, also contains Scottish heritage from Diana’s side.
– Prince George (b. 2013) – Future heir to the throne inherits the Stuart genetics from both paternal and maternal sides.
Intermarriage with Scottish nobles
In addition to the Stuart lineage, the English and British royal bloodline became more Scottish through strategic marriages with Scottish noble families. By marrying into Scottish clans and houses, English monarchs could increase ties to Scotland and reinforce claims to the Scottish crown.
Some examples of royal intermarriage between English and Scottish nobles include:
– Malcolm III of Scotland likely married the English Princess Margaret around 1070, increasing ties between the English and Scottish thrones.
– David II of Scotland married Joan of England in 1328, merging English and Scottish royal blood.
– James IV of Scotland married Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England in 1503. This marriage merged the Scottish Stuart and English Tudor bloodlines.
– Mary, Queen of Scots married her first cousin Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley in 1565, strengthening the Stuart family’s claims to both Scottish and English thrones.
Through these and other marital alliances, the Scottish nobility became thoroughly intertwined with English and British royalty over the centuries.
Scottish monarchs of England
Aside from intermarriage, three direct Scottish monarchies also contributed a significant Scottish element to the English royal bloodline over the centuries:
House of Duncan (1034-1040)
– Duncan I (1001-1040) – Ruled as King of Scots from 1034-1040. After his death, his son Malcolm III later married the English princess Margaret.
House of Canmore (1058-1286)
– Malcolm III (1031-1093) – Son of Duncan I who married Margaret of England, becoming an English Earl. Their son David I later ruled as King of England.
– David I (1084-1153) – Son of Malcolm III and Margaret. He ruled as King of the Scots and Earl of Huntingdon in England.
– William I (1143-1214) – Grandson of David I, he ruled as King of Scotland and symbolically as King of England for a short period from 1173-1174 during a revolt against Henry II.
House of Stuart (1371-1707)
– Robert II (1316-1390) – Established the House of Stewart/Stuart dynasty in Scotland in 1371. This line later ruled England from 1603-1707.
– James I/VI (1566-1625) – United the English and Scottish thrones after succeeding Elizabeth I in 1603.
– Charles I (1600-1649) – Son of James I/VI, was king of England, Scotland and Ireland until his execution in 1649.
Through these three seminal Scottish royal houses, a strong Scottish element entered the English bloodline over 400 years before the more recent Windsors.
Evidence of Scottish DNA
Several DNA analyses over the years have confirmed the Scottish roots in the modern royal family’s genetic makeup.
– DNA tests on Prince William revealed Scottish heritage through his mother Diana’s lineage. Her ancestry includes Kings Charles II and James II/VII on the Spencer side.
– Genetic testing in 2021 showed that Queen Elizabeth II shares a specific Y-DNA marker with James IV of Scotland from the 1500s.
– Prince Philip’s Y-DNA also contains Scottish ancestry passed down from the royal House of Stuart.
– DNA studies have linked Prince Charles to the 9th century King Kenneth MacAlpin, considered the first King of Scots.
This DNA evidence corroborates the clear Scottish lineage passed down to today’s royals through a traceable family tree spanning over 1000 years.
Conclusion
In summary, the British royal family has strong Scottish roots running through its bloodline for centuries. The Stuart dynasty that descended from medieval Scotland provides the most definitive Scottish element. This Scottish heritage was then carried into the Hanover, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Windsor dynasties that followed. Intermarriage between English and Scottish nobles, as well as direct Scottish monarchies ruling England, added to the Scottish DNA imprint over time. Modern DNA analysis has proven that the current royal family continues to carry this identifiable Scottish ancestry today. After 300 years of shared monarchs, the Scottish and English crowns were formally unified in 1707 under Queen Anne, further merging the royal bloodlines. Given this exceptional pedigree, the evidence clearly shows that today’s British royals have verifiable Scottish ancestry embedded deeply in their family history.