A letter to eurofacts which was published on 11th October 1996.

One appreciates the general drift of John Murray’s article eurofacts (13th September) refuting allegations of English xenophobia, but to do this it is not necessary to assert tht “Our present Queen, like Victoria, has no trace of English blood”.

After the Norman conquest, the direct English royal line was re-established by Henry II, grandson of Henry I and of Matilda, daughter of St Margaret, Queen of Scotland.  St Margaret was great grand-daughter of Ethelred II (the unready), the great grandson of Alfred the Great.  Likewise, while Henry VII was indeed grandson of Owen Tudor, his mother was the great great grand-daughter of Edward III, direct descendent of Henry II.

Finally, to complete the line to our present monarch, George I (of Hanover) was the great grandson of James I, who was great grandson of Henry VII.

Our present Queen is in fact the great (34 times) grand-daughter of Alfred the Great, which works out at an average of exactly 30 years per generation.