Royal family trees are a mess. Honestly, if you try to map out European monarchy without a stiff drink and a PhD in genealogy, you're going to get a headache. People always ask: were Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip cousins? The short answer is yes. They were. But it’s not as simple as a single connection. They were actually related in two distinct ways, spanning two different branches of the massive, interconnected bush that is European royalty.
They were third cousins. They were also second cousins, once removed.
It sounds strange to us now. Most of us don't marry our distant relatives. However, for the House of Windsor and the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, this was basically the HR department’s standard operating procedure for centuries. You married for territory, for peace, or just because there weren't many people "of rank" left who weren't already your aunt.
The Queen Victoria Connection: Third Cousins
The most famous link between the two is through Queen Victoria. She’s often called the "Grandmother of Europe" for a reason. Victoria and Prince Albert had nine children, and those children married into almost every major royal house on the continent.
Queen Elizabeth II was a direct descendant of Victoria through the male line. Her father was George VI, whose father was George V, whose father was Edward VII—Victoria’s eldest son. Simple enough.
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Philip enters the frame through Victoria’s daughter, Princess Alice. Alice’s daughter, Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, was Philip’s grandmother. That makes Elizabeth and Philip both great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria. In the world of genealogy, that makes them third cousins. They first met when Elizabeth was just 13 years old at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. Even then, the family knew they were "kin," though that didn't stop a young Lilibet from developing what her governess called a "crush."
The Danish Link: Second Cousins, Once Removed
This is where it gets a little more "knotted." They were also related through King Christian IX of Denmark.
Prince Philip’s father was Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark. Andrew’s father was King George I of Greece, who was originally a Danish prince (the son of King Christian IX). On Elizabeth’s side, her great-grandfather, Edward VII, married Alexandra of Denmark. Alexandra was also a child of King Christian IX.
Because of this, they shared another set of great-great-grandparents. This specific branch makes them second cousins, once removed. If you're wondering what "once removed" actually means, it just refers to a difference in generations. One person is a generation further away from the common ancestor than the other.
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Why the Royals Married Their Cousins
You have to understand the era. For hundreds of years, the royal "dating pool" was microscopic. You couldn't just marry a commoner; that was scandalous. It could even cost you your throne. Think about King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. That disaster happened because he wanted to marry a non-royal socialite.
Marrying a cousin was a strategic move. It kept the "blue blood" pure—at least in their eyes—and ensured that foreign alliances remained strong. If the King of England married the Princess of Denmark, the two countries were less likely to go to war. It was politics disguised as romance.
By the time Elizabeth and Philip got married in 1947, the world was changing. The rigid rules were softening, but they were still very much part of that old-world tradition. They weren't just a couple; they were a merger of two powerful European legacies.
Was it Controversial?
Honestly, not really. Not back then.
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While some members of the "Old Guard" at the palace were skeptical of Philip—mostly because he was seen as "too German" or "too poor" (he famously had about 12 pence in his pocket when he arrived in England)—nobody cared about the cousin thing. Third cousins are genetically distant enough that it doesn't cause the biological issues people associate with closer inbreeding.
In fact, the royal family was largely relieved that Elizabeth had chosen someone who understood the "job." Philip knew the protocols. He knew the sacrifice. He understood that he would always have to walk two steps behind his wife.
Practical Insights for History Buffs
If you're digging into this for a research project or just out of pure curiosity, here is what you actually need to remember to keep the facts straight:
- The Victoria Link: Both were great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria. This is the "Third Cousin" connection.
- The Danish Link: They shared King Christian IX of Denmark as a common ancestor. This is the "Second Cousin, Once Removed" connection.
- The Name Change: Philip had to drop his Greek and Danish titles and take the surname Mountbatten (a呢 Anglicized version of his mother's name, Battenberg) before the wedding to seem more "British."
- The Genetic Factor: Third-cousin marriages are common in many cultures and pose no significant medical risk, which is why the Church of England and the British public had zero issues with the union.
Understanding the relationship between Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip requires looking at history through a different lens. What seems like an oddity today was a foundational pillar of European stability for centuries. They were partners, they were confidants, and yes, they were cousins. Their 73-year marriage remains the longest of any British monarch, proving that regardless of how the family tree looked, the personal bond was real.
To truly grasp the scale of these connections, your next step should be to look at the Gotha Almanac or digital archives like The Peerage. These resources track the intricate marriages of the 19th and 20th centuries, showing how nearly every reigning monarch in Europe today—from Norway to Spain—is still related to one another through these same lines.