Are You Related to Royalty?

Millions of Americans have family ties to Prince William or Kate Middleton — you could be among them

by: Judi Hasson, from: AARP, April 14, 2011

The British Royal Family including Prince William (L) Camilla (R), The Duchess of Cornwall stand alongside Queen Elizabeth II (centre L) and her husband Prince Phillip, The Duke of Edinburgh, as they watch a flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, June 12, 2010.

Try researching surnames such as Windsor or Stuart to see if you have a family conncetion to the British royal family — Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

Royal websites. Check out the Royal Family Tree at http://www.royal-family-tree.co.uk/ and the official website of the British monarch at http://www.royal.gov.uk/.

Reading list. These books may give you some clues: The Ancestry of Catherine Middleton by William A. Reitwiesner; The Ancestry of Diana Princess of Wales by Richard Evans; The Royal Descents of 600 Immigrants to the American Colonies or the United States by Gary Boyd Roberts.

You could strike gold or hit a dead end.

"For some people, it can happen in an instant. For others, it can take 20-30 years worth of work," says Joshua Taylor, director of education at the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

Either way, you might decide it's worth finding out.

Begin Searching Your Royal Roots

A few tips for tracing your lineage to the Royals:

Familysearch.org The Church of the Latter-Day Saints in Salt Lake City can help your search for free. It won't plug you directly into Kate's line, but you can track her American descendants and see if you are related to them. It has satellite offices across the country. See https://familysearch.org/locations.

Americanancestors.org This is the database of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Some of its databases are free, and you can tap into Massachusetts' vital statistics from 1620, when royal ancestors started to appear on the counting rolls. Also see the society's www.notablekin.org site.

Ancestry.com The family search is free. There's a $12.99 monthly subscription rate for ancestry searches. It will plow through historical records, including U.S. and British censuses. Look for family census records listing domestic servants, a sign of wealth and possible connection to the royals.