Genghis Khan
AncientFaces Genghis had six Mongolian wives, many foreign wives, and unnumbered concubines. He fathered any number of children but adding to this, (for centuries) a true ruler of central Asia had to be descended from him. So his descendants had no shortage of companions. His oldest son had 40 legitimate sons, his grandson (Kublai Khan) had 22. With these kinds of numbers (and the generations that have passed), it may be no surprise that nearly 16 million men - that's one in every 200 men on earth - are directly descended from Genghis Khan.
William the Conqueror
AncientFaces After leading the Norman invasion of England, William had nine children. In those times (and for hundreds of years after), royals married only royals. So, through time, his children were connected to royal families throughout Europe. Today, every single European monarch and his/her family, minor royals, tens of millions of Europeans, over 1.5 million Americans, and every U.S. President (through Obama) has been related to William the Conqueror.
Charlemagne
Kathy Pinna Charlemagne ruled over a area covering Italy, France, Spain, and Germany after the collapse of the Roman Empire. He had 20 children and since they did not succeed in carrying on their father's unifying vision, by the time of his great-grandsons his progeny had spread all over Europe. Some estimates say that half of Europe (around 250 million people), 100 million people in the United States, and another 250 million across the world are related to Charlemagne.
Coronation Day, 1937
The royalty with whom we are most familiar - Great Britain. This is the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
Philip IV, King of Spain
AncientFaces Bet William the Conquerer and Charlemagne are in his family tree!
Princess Zeinet, 1924
AncientFaces In the 1920's, princesses faced a shortage of royal princes. (More countries turned from monarchy and men had been killed in the Great War.) So they married nobility.
Princess Donna Santa Borghese
AncientFaces She lectured about the Fascists in Italy at Stanford in 1923.
Prince Christopher & Prince Andrew of Greece & Denmark, 1923
AncientFaces Prince Andrew's son found a princess - Elizabeth - and she became Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain
Prince Gelasio Caetani, 1922
AncientFaces He was mayor of Rome, a supporter of Mussolini, and ambassador to the U.S.
Princess Priscilla Bebesco, 1922
AncientFaces Daughter of a Romanian prince, goddaughter of Marcel Proust, this little darling became a (semi-serious) spy in World War II, and endured failed romances.
Princess Bertha Cantacuzene, 1922
AncientFaces Her father was Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich Cantacuzène of Russia and her mother was Julia Dent Grant, whose grandfather was President Grant.
Julia Dent Grant
AncientFaces Mother of Princess Bertha Cantacuzene, she married Prince Mikhail Cantacuzène. Click on the photo to read about her memories of President Grant, her grandfather.
Queen Mary
Wife of King-Emperor George V of Great Britain, mother of King Edward VIII and King George VI, she was born Princess Mary of Teck (Germany).
Princess Alexandra of Denmark
Angela Hockenberry Princess Alexandra of Denmark became Queen Alexandra of Great Britain, wife of King Edward VII.
Princess Elisabeth of Romania
AncientFaces Her full name was Elisabeth Charlotte Josephine Alexandra Victoria. She married King George of Greece in 1921 and divorced him in 1935.
Princess Elisabeth of Saxony
AncientFaces Those 19th century princesses were formal!
Grace Kelly, American actress
Kathy Pinna She became a princess by marrying Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956. In 2016, the royal family of Monaco bought her childhood home in Philadelphia.
Anita Stewart
AncientFaces Born Anita Rhinelander Stewart, she was an American heiress and socialite who married Prince Miguel of Portugal in 1909.
Fun Fact: It's believed by some that every U.S. President is likely related to William the Conqueror.
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