Unusual Front Page

The Times Leads On William's Indian heritage

DNA testing has revealed that Prince William's great-great-great-great-great grandmother on Diana's side was Indian, meaning he will become the first British monarch of Indian ancestry.

The Indian connection is revealed in a splashy front-page story on The Times today - curiously the only paper in the UK not to have a massive story about the Murdoch divorce on the front page … wonder why that it is?

The Times reports that there is a unassailable genetic link between the Duke of Cambridge and a half-Indian woman, Eliza Kewark, who married Englishman

Theodore Forbes arrived in India in 1809 at the age of 21, working as a merchant for the East India Company.

While posted in the port city of Surat, in western India, he met Kewark. The two married and Princess Diana was a direct descendant.

Update: Roy Greenslade in The Guardian writes:

The story - run across three pages plus a leading article - was based on research by a genetics expert at Edinburgh university and a private company called BritainsDNA.

And The Times was clearly so pleased with its royal ancestry scoop that, on page 5, it carried a special readers' offer in company with none other than BritainsDNA.

People are urged to order a test on the company's website or by phone. And Times+ members were informed that they could enjoy "a free upgrade package worth £65 when they order a DNA test from BritainsDNA."

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Tom SykesEuropean Editor at Large

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