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Desi DNA links to-be Maharaja To India!
Everyone’s favourite blue eyed British boy has a dash of desi spice!
DNA tests suggest that Prince William is 1/256th Indian, traced through his mother, Princess Diana’s lineage.
British genetic ancestry testing company BritainsDNA conducted tests on DNA samples of Princess Diana’s matrilineal relatives, namely two of her mother’s cousins. They then compared them to global samples, CNN reports.
The results revealed that Prince William’s fifth great grandmother, Eliza Kewark was of South Asian descent. She worked as a house keeper for his fifth great grandfather Theodore Forbes in Surat, India. The claim is based on the very rare nature of mitochondrial DNA (or mtDNA) found in her descendants. Kewark’s mtDNA is so rare in fact, that it has only been found in 14 other people – 13 Indian and one from Nepal. So it’s very likely that she was at least half Indian.
As mtDNA is passed from mother to child, it will not be passed on to Prince William and Kate’s children. However BritainsDNA scientists say that other parts of the genome do have small bits of Indian DNA and those could in fact, be passed down.
What that means is the second in line to the British throne, and possibly the generation that follows, can trace a direct genetic connection to India. And perhaps even more exciting for some, is the possibility that distant relatives might still be found on the sub-continent. Theodore Forbes lived in India for a considerable amount of time and could have more heirs.
While the whole affair has the makings of a Bollywood blockbuster, whether or not a cross country family reunion is on the cards is yet to be determined!
Featured image source: www.tattoo-disasters.blogspot.com
Dilshad Burman
Author
Dilshad Burman is an award winning TV host and Canadian media personality. Born in Mumbai, India, she was surrounded by its creative energy and grew up with a passion for music, film and television. While completing her Bachelor of Arts in English literature from The University of Mumbai, she i...
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