While they may be joined by marriage, these royal couples have a few more surprising bonds hidden in their history.

For hundreds of years the British royal family have enjoyed astonishing popularity in many countries around the world. Even to this day, news of one of its members getting married can put the globe into a frenzy. But while the likes of Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle make it seem like aristocrats aren’t the only ones aloud to join this royal clan, traditionally the truth may be a little different. And history has shown some very close connections within their family tree.

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20. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

With a reign surpassed only by her great-great-granddaughter Elizabeth II, Queen Victoria remains one of Britain’s most iconic monarchs. Her reign saw the further development of the U.K.’s constitutional monarchy, thanks to advice from her husband Albert who urged her to be less partisan when dealing with Parliament. And the two were very close, but their familial ties didn’t stop at marriage – because the pair were actually first cousins.

Nevertheless, Victoria and Albert’s close genetic bonds didn’t stop the queen being close to her husband. Dubbed “the grandmother of Europe,” she birthed nine children with Albert who would all become members of royal families themselves. Unfortunately, many of their descendants throughout Europe became stricken with haemophilia – a genetic disorder passed down by Victoria. Due to its spread throughout her family, the illness would gain the name “the royal disease.”

19. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip

The current head of the House of Windsor Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip have held court since the former’s coronation in 1952. And yet the pair’s relationship goes even further back, as Elizabeth fell in love with Philip at the age of 13 while the two played tennis together. However, their history actually goes back further still.

As children, Elizabeth and Philip would frequently run into each other at the same events. This is because the two have a shared family connection through Queen Victoria, who was great-great-grandmother to both of them. And if that wasn’t enough, they share an even another link through Denmark’s King Christian IX, which in fact makes them second cousins.

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18. King George V, Tsar Nicholas II and Kaiser Wilhelm II

The idea of noble families ripped apart by war may sound like the plot of Shakespearean tragedy – however, this actually happened to Europe’s leading monarchies during World War I. As the grandsons of Queen Victoria, England’s King George V, Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II and Russia’s Tsar Nicholas II shared a seemingly unbreakable bond. In addition, Nicholas also shared a maternal grandmother with George – not to mention remarkably similar looks.

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Nevertheless, blood turned out to be thinner than water in the end. At the onset of war in 1914, Britain and Russia turned against Germany, and the Russian Revolution three years later would eventually lead to George shunning Nicholas for fear of political reprisals in Britain. It was a tragic turn of events that – as Kaiser Wilhelm reportedly opined – wouldn’t have been permissible under their grandparents’ rule.

17. King George IV and Caroline of Brunswick

Not all royal weddings have a happily ever after – just take the unfortunate marriage between King George IV and his first cousin Caroline of Brunswick. As a young man, George lived the life of a libertine. That is until crippling debts caused him to receive an ultimatum from his father King George III: marry his cousin Caroline or be cut off financially.

Despite already being married, George glumly accepted and wed his relation in 1795. Rather unsurprisingly, the two shared an almost immediate dislike for each other and they would be separated within a year. Despite that, in 1796 the couple bore a daughter Charlotte, who would sadly die in 1817 before becoming eligible for the crown.

16. King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon

Perhaps the most famous story in royal history, the tale of Henry VIII and his six wives has been recounted by countless generations. In 1509 the monarch married his first wife Catherine of Aragon, who was also a distant relation through John of Gaunt. And yet, the pair’s marriage was something of a family affair in more ways than one.

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Before getting hitched to Henry, Catherine was married to his brother Arthur, who was also first in line for the throne. However, the couple’s union would be cut off just six months later when Arthur died in 1502. In his stead, Catherine would marry her brother-in-law in a union that would last until 1533 – when Henry had their marriage invalidated in order to wed Anne Boleyn.

15. Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall

After meeting her future royal husband in the early 1970s, Camilla Parker Bowles reportedly had some choice first words for Prince Charles. According to Leslie Carroll’s 2010 book Notorious Royal Marriages, the now-Duchess of Cornwall apparently said, “My great-grandmother and your great-great-grandfather were lovers so – how about it?” From then on, the two became an on-off couple and married in 2005.

With her risqué pickup line, Camilla referenced the relationship between their ancestors King Edward VII and Alice Keppel. And – considering that Camilla’s grandmother Sonia Keppel could be this regent’s illegitimate daughter – this may make the Duchess and Charles half second cousins once removed. Additionally, the two also share a common ancestor through the second Duke of Newcastle, Henry Cavendish.

14. King George VI and Elizabeth Boyes-Lyon

Before Elizabeth II’s ascension to the throne, her father King George VI held the crown of Britain. Yet this monarch – who was married to Elizabeth Boyes-Lyon – may never have held court had it not been for his brother’s own marriage. After their father passed in 1936, George’s older sibling Edward became King, but soon abdicated to wed U.S. divorcee Wallis Simpson.

While officials disapproved of Edward’s choice of partner, however, they surely had less reservations about George and Elizabeth. Like her husband, the Queen Mother came from noble stock, having been descended from King Henry VII’s daughter Margaret. This made the parents of today’s ruling monarchs 13th cousins, thanks to George’s own relation to the Tudor king.

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13. King William IV and Queen Adelaide

When it comes to royal marriages, sometimes in that past hereditary lines have been more important than love. Certainly, this was the case with William IV, who as a young prince enjoyed a fruitful relationship with Irish actress Dorethea Bland. That is until his niece and heir apparent Princess Charlotte passed away in 1817, prompting the royal to try and secure his own place on the throne.

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After various attempts finding a wife capable of giving him an heir failed, William finally married his third cousin Adelaide. Although William successfully gained the crown after their marriage, his daughters with Adelaide would die before becoming eligible for succession. In their place, Queen Victoria would be the one to carry on the family line.

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12. King George V and Mary of Teck

As the great-granddaughter of George III, Mary of Teck held a sliver of status within the monarchy. Nevertheless, the young royal grew to be a firm favorite of her grandmother Queen Victoria. And through her, Mary became betrothed to her second cousin Prince Albert Victor – the man who was expected to take the throne.

Alas, the pair wouldn’t see themselves become man and wife. Mere weeks before their wedding, Prince Albert became ill with influenza and passed away shortly afterwards. Despite her grief, Mary struck up a relationship with Albert’s brother George who was next in line for ascension. Then in 1893 – 17 years before George’s coronation – the two married and their relationship would yield six children.

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11. Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones

The youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Edward has a long time to wait before getting his chance to sit on the throne. In fact – as the 11th in the line of succession – we’d wager that the royal’s chances seem pretty unlikely. Weirdly enough, however, the number 11 has another meaning for the Prince and his wife Sophie Rhys-Jones.

In 1993 Prince Edward began dating PR chief Sophie Rhys-Jones, who also just happened to be his distant relative. Through his grandmother, the royal is linked to Nicholas St. John – a man whose descendants also spawned the Rhys-Jones family. As a result, this makes the couple – who wed in 1999 – 11th cousins, according to an expert who spoke to The Express.

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10. Prince Charles and Princess Diana

Prior to his marriage to Camilla Parker-Bowles, Princes Charles shared a much-documented union with Diana Spencer. And thanks to her charity work and persona, the iconic figure hugely popular in her own right.. Furthermore, Time magazine claimed in 1981 that the late princess had “more English royal blood in her veins” than her heir husband.

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Following news of Princess Diana’s engagement to Charles that year, Time published a piece revealing the future bride’s royal lineage. Inside, it detailed her ancestry to both Charles II and James II – a fact that made Diana and Charles 16th cousins once removed. Furthermore, the piece discovered her family links with several prominent political leaders including Sir Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

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9. King George I and Sophia Dorothea of Celle

By all means, adultery can create awful repercussions within a marriage. And for Sophia Dorothea of Celle, cheating on her husband King George I led to terrible consequences. After marrying her first cousin in an arranged ceremony, the German-born queen felt abandoned by the king’s constant philandering – and soon after, she would take a lover of her own.

Through adventurer Count Philip Christoph von Königsmarck, Sophia found respite from her boredom – but their tryst wouldn’t stay a secret for long. When George discovered the affair, the king struck back by first choking his wife before condemning her to Ahlden House for the rest of her life. Philip, for his part, vanished from the kingdom entirely, with many believing the jealous monarch ordered his murder in secret.

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8. King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York

Fans of HBO’s Game of Thrones will be familiar with its theme of royal families fighting for the crown. However, they may not know that many believe the series was partly based on England’s real-life War of the Roses. During the conflict, the houses of Lancaster and York took up arms in a fierce conflict that ended with Henry Tudor’s victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

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Despite their mutual animosity, both houses actually shared ancestry with Lancaster’s founder John of Gaunt. Perhaps this inspired Henry to marry Elizabeth of York, following his subsequent coronation as Henry VII. Certainly, their union revealed the commonalities between both clans, which led to peace throughout the country.

7. Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark

Queen Victoria’s eldest son Edward VII looked abroad for a spouse. And through his sister, the heir would meet the Danish princess Alexandra, who only just passed her in-law’s high expectations. Apparently, it has been suggested that Victoria approved the Scandinavian consort-to-be only because no more suitable matches could be found.

Though their respective kingdoms were separated by the North Sea, Edward and Alexandra actually shared a common link. In reality, both were great-great-grandchildren of George II, which in fact made them third cousins. Moreover, their son George V would later keep the line within the family, when he married Mary of Teck, with whom he shared a great grandfather, George III.

6. King George III and Queen Charlotte

As blind dates go, there are surely few in history that rival the one between George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Incredibly, the royal couple – who were also second cousins – met only six hours prior to their 1761 marriage. And they did so after the queen’s consort – who hailed from Germany – had endured a torturous two-week voyage by sea.

Despite their lack of acquaintance – not to mention the fact that neither shared a common language – the two were a successful couple. Bonding over their mutual love of music, the pair would eventually become parents to 13 children. However, they would also suffer the loss of three of their children – a fact that arguably contributed to George’s issues with mental illness.

5. Princess Victoria, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich and Grand Duke Ernest of Hesse

We all know that there has been plenty of drama within the royal family – but even a love triangle between first cousins sounds a little too far-fetched. Nevertheless, this happened to Victoria Melita who – by her grandmother Queen Victoria’s wishes – married her cousin Grand Duke Ernest of Hesse. The only problem was that the princess was already in love with another of her cousins – Russian Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich.

Throughout her marriage to Ernest – whom Victoria claimed was secretly gay – the princess continued to swoon for Kirill. Following her grandmother’s death, Victoria divorced her husband in favor of her other cousin. However, their subsequent marriage would lead to Kirill’s temporary exile from Russia, as the duke wed without the Tsar’s approval.

4. Anastasia Romanov and Prince Philip

The tragic story of the Romanovs is one that will be told for time immemorial. Following the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II due to the February Revolution of 1917 in Russia, Soviet officials murdered him and his family – including the young princess Anastasia – while under house arrest the following year. But while the Romanov dynasty may be over, their legacy lives on via the British royal family.

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Strangely enough, Britain’s Prince Philip actually shares bloodlines with Anastasia’s mother Alexandra, who was his great-aunt. And the Duke of Edinburgh’s bloodline is so strong that it has even helped identify his ancestors’ remains. When the bodies of two children were discovered in Russia in 2007, the he allowed his DNA to be used to determine if they were in fact Anastasia’s siblings.

3. King George II and Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach

In many cases throughout history, the spouse of a ruling monarch was not expected to contribute to the running of their country. However, this certainly wasn’t the case with Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach, the Queen consort of Great Britain. After marrying the future-king, George II – who also happened to be her third cousin – in 1705, the German-born bride went on to have an arguably greater political influence than her husband.

Via the aid of politician Robert Walpole, Caroline gained a political voice and influenced her husband’s decision-making. Though their relationship was fraught – with George often seeking extra-marital affairs – the two still shared a strong bond. To wit, the monarch decided not to remarry after Caroline’s 1737 death out of a belief he wouldn’t find anyone else as capable as her.

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2. Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

When Prince William revealed his engagement to Kate Middleton, as she is more commonly known, in 2010, the public became obsessed with their future-queen. More accurately, they became enthralled by the idea that someone seemingly without aristocratic ties could marry into the royal family. But a deeper look at the duchess’ family history revealed her ancestry was a little more complicated than first thought.

As revealed by Britain’s Channel 4, the “middle class princess” actually has distant blood ties to the royal family. Like her husband, Catherine is directly descended from Edward III, which means the two are 14th cousins once removed. If that wasn’t enough, the duchess is also descended from several baronesses including Baroness Airedale, who attended King George V’s 1911 coronation.

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1. Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex

It’s no understatement that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle come from very different backgrounds. One is an English-born royal who is sixth in line for the British throne. The other, meanwhile, is a Los Angeles-born actress who up until her 2017 engagement to the Prince was best known for a recurring role on TV’s Suits.

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Despite their very dissimilar upbringings, however, the two actually share common – albeit distant – ancestry. According to a 2017 report by The Mail on Sunday, the couple are related through the 15th century sheriff Ralph Bowes. All in all, this makes the prince and the duchess 15th cousins and enough to make them linked by more than just marriage.