Posted on 06/14/2013 10:35:58 AM PDT by JoeProBono
Prince William will be the first British monarch to have Indian ancestry according to new DNA research published by the University of Edinburgh and BritainsDNA.
The matrilineal genealogy of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, traces back to an Indian woman known as Eliza Kewark. She was housekeeper to his 5th great grandfather Theodore Forbes, a Scottish merchant who worked for the East India Company in a busy port north of Bombay.
Eliza is claimed to have been Armenian, and letters from Eliza to Theodore contain Armenian script. While her father could have been of Armenian descent, DNA evidence shows she is Indian through her mother's line.
Mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA is a small piece of DNA, inherited from a mother. Men inherit mtDNA, but do not pass it on.
Researchers sequenced the mtDNA of Princess Diana's line, and showed not only that it matched Kewark's, but also that it belongs to a haplogroup called R30b.
A haplogroup is a group of related ancestral lineages, and while some are found all over the world, others are confined to particular regions. The R30 and R30a haplogroups are entirely South Asian.
The R30b haplogroup which Princes William and Harry inherited from Kewark is exceedingly rare, even in India, with only 14 examples reported, 13 of whom were Indian and one Nepalese.
University of Edinburgh genetics expert Jim Wilson said the proof of William's Indian roots was "unassailable."
Further, autosomal markers across the genomes of Princess Diana’s two matrilineal cousins show that Kewark’s descendants are about 0.3 percent and 0.8 percent South Asian. All the rest is of European origin.
It is therefore likely that Prince William has not only inherited a small portion of Indian DNA from Eliza Kewark, but his heirs will also carry it.
"This is a great example of how genetics can be used to answer specific historical questions and uncover fascinating facts about our ancestry," said Dr. Jim Wilson, Chief Scientist at BritainsDNA.
Big deal. So is Paleface Lizzy Warren.....or at least that’s what she claimed.
/johnny
Apparently it was a very busy port.
I’d be more interested in Prince Harry’s DNA. Specifically, to see if he is really related to Charles. My guess is no, which is why such info will never see the light of day.
Dot...not feather.
mtDNA is ONLY passed mother to daughter.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
It’s nice to know that William and Harry will be able to seek asylum in India, land of their ancestors, after Muslim terrorists complete their destruction of Britain.
Imagine the surprises if we could see our descendants for thousands of years in the future!!!!!!
(Maybe it's best that we can't)
(in either case.)
What you don’t know can’t hurt you — — — right?
Ummmm....not the same “Indian” - Cherokee is not from India.
That’s OK......Paleface Lizzy isn’t Cherokee.
What it is, bloods?
;-)
[All of us are descended from various nations.]
Yes, I've wondered about that too. Not too sure that I'd like to see that revealed though. Harry seems to be the most likeable of the bunch.
So what? Know we know where he gets his smarts from. There is so little Indian in him it may come out is a craving for Chutney once and a while.
But I’m not surprised, Joe. They look like my 21st century family.
Mitochondrial DNA is passed from mother to child. Both boys and girls inherit mtDNA from their mother only.
In this case, the mtDNA serves as an indicator of ancestry. Prince William's children will also carry a tiny fraction of this particular ancestor's nuclear DNA as well.
The matrilineal genealogy of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, traces back to an Indian woman known as Eliza Kewark... housekeeper to his 5th great grandfather Theodore Forbes, a Scottish merchant who worked for the East India Company... Eliza is claimed to have been Armenian, and letters from Eliza to Theodore contain Armenian script... DNA evidence shows she is Indian through her mother's line... the mtDNA of Princess Diana's line, and showed not only that it matched Kewark's, but also that it belongs to a haplogroup called R30b... The R30 and R30a haplogroups are entirely South Asian... is exceedingly rare, even in India, with only 14 examples reported, 13 of whom were Indian and one Nepalese.
The point was the Prince William will not be passing on this bit of DNA.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
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