New ITV Documentary - Does your family tree connect back to British royalty?

[philipsearching]

I have many illegitimate ancestors in my tree, but as yet only one royal bastard. 

Philip

[Top-of-the-hill]

  Leaving aside Edward 111, I think my chances of a royal, or even a gateway, ancestor are pretty remote.

[Erato]

There are so many people I'd rather be related to in some way - say, Isaac Newton or Charles Darwin.

[guest189040]

In 1911, the Marquis of Ruvigny estimated from documented family trees that Edward’s living descendants numbered around 80,000 to 100,000. The number today, after four more generations of children, would be much greater.

I've seen estimates that put the number of Edward III's living descendants at around 4-5million, and some have suggested that virtually everyone (99%+) of predominantly English ancestry is descended from him in some way....

http://community.dur.ac.uk/a.r.millard/genealogy/EdwardIIIDescent.php

Take it back to earlier kings, e.g. William I, and the probability is even higher.

...have to say it isn't something that interests me as a genealogist.

Edward III

Yes, both my Wife and I are part of the 4-5 Million that trace back to him and in our cases it is via John of Gaunt or in other words we are a pair of right Royal Bastards. ;-)

Not that it really matters its the last two hundred and fifty years that we are more interested in.

[coombs]

I descend from Chadd Cockayne a Bedfordshire man who traces his lineage back to Eva Da Braose and Aoife MacMurrough, and further back King Vladimir.

[Romilly]

I descend from Chadd Cockayne a Bedfordshire man who traces his lineage back to Eva Da Braose and Aoife MacMurrough, and further back King Vladimir.

Was that Vlad the Impaler?

Romilly.

[coombs]

No it was Vlad the Great c.958-1015.

[Skoosh]

And the father of this Edward III was ?  ditto Edward l & Edward lV   

Skoosh.

[pharmaT]

I think there will be more descendants for whom the documentation isn't there than those for whom there is documentation.