Expert: Joseph Logue - 10/19/2008

Question
Hello Joseph, The Duke of Teck's wife Mary Adelaide and his father,Duke Alexander of Wurttemberg were third cousins.Who was their common ancestor please. Many thanks,
Dorothy.

Answer
Hello Dorothy,

Well, this one nearly stumped me as when we speak of third cousins we are speaking about lateral descendants from the same great-great-grandparent. It is easy to believe that Mary Adelaide and the Duke of Wurttemberg had one and possibly even two great-great-grandparents in common.  I found a closer relation, however.  Mary Adelaide was the youngest child and second daughter of Prince Adolphus, later Duke of Cambridge; he was the tenth child and seventh son of King George III of Great Britain.  Adolphus' older sister was Princess Charlotte, the Princess Royal, fourth child and first daughter of King George III.  Charlotte married Frederick I, King of Wurttemberg and was grandmother to Alexander, Duke of Wurttemberg, father of Franz, Duke of Teck, who became the husband of Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge.

Therefore, Alexander was the first cousin once removed of Mary Adelaide, an even closer relation than third cousin.  I am going to keep your question, because now I am intrigued as to whom the common ancestor in the degree you referred to actually is.

Sincerely,

Joseph Logue