DNA testing has revealed that Prince William will become the first British monarch of Indian ancestry.A clear genetic line has been drawn between the Duke of Cambridge and a half-Indian woman, potentially marking him as the first King whose bloodline is descended from the country.
Analysis of saliva samples on relatives of Prince William revealed the link between the second in line to the throne and a distant relative from his mother’s family.
The revelation will prompt calls for the 30-year-old prince to make his maiden visit to India, following in the footsteps of his parents who travelled there in 1992.
The genetic link with India is believed to originate from Williams’s great-great-great-great-great grandmother Eliza Kewark.
Although often described as Armenian, DNA analysis has revealed that she was at least half-Indian and is known to have lived in the country’s western region.
Scottish scientists established the link after discovering that Eliza’s descendants carried a rare strand of DNA - known as mitochondrial DNA - which can only be passed on by a mother.
Only people from the Indian subcontinent have been found to carry the particular strand of DNA. It has been recorded in 14 other people - all Indian, apart from one Nepalese native.
The DNA is thought to have passed down to Prince William and his brother Harry, as the scientist behind the research described the genetic link as ‘unassailable’.
The tests were carried out by genetics expert Jim Wilson, from the University of Edinburgh and a group called BritainsDNA, who said that the princes would be unable to pass the DNA to their children.
It has not been revealed which relations of William supplied the saliva samples to allow the DNA to be tested.
Princess Diana’s maternal aunt Mary Roach told The Times: ‘I always assumed that I was part-Armenian so I am delighted that I also have an Indian background.’
A clear genetic line has been drawn between the
Duke of Cambridge and Eliza Kewark, who was at least half-Indian and is
known to have lived in the country's western region
From mother to son: The DNA has been passed down
from Diana's side of the family from Prince William's
great-great-great-great-great grandmother Eliza Kewark who was
half-Indian
Letters sent from Kewark to her estranged husband were discovered by researchers in which she begged to be able to see her children again.
He also described her as the ‘purported mother’ of Katherine.
Princess Diana pictured at the Taj Mahal (left) and wearing a garland (right) during her visit to India, in 1992
First and last: The DNA will not be passed on to
the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's child as the mitochondrial DNA is
linked to the mother's side
Princess Diana was famously pictured sitting alone outside the Taj Mahal, an Indian landmark regarded as symbol of love, without her husband in sight.
His direct genetic lineage could be seized upon by Buckingham Palace as a way of boosting the British monarchy’s popularity in the country.
Alistair Moffat, the founder of BritainsDNA, said: ‘Knowing something about your DNA and its origins in prehistory definitely changes your sense of yourself, and one way that it does that is to make you feel part of a world community.’
Princess Diana was famously pictured sitting
alone outside the Taj Mahal, an Indian landmark regarded as symbol of
love during the visit to the country
The Prince of Wales receives the traditional
southern Indian greeting of a Tilak on the forehead from Mres Sayyavati,
mother of the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, as they visit him at the
start of the last full day of his and Diana's visit to the country
