Bush Beats Gore in Presidential 'Blue Blood' Stakes

http://news.excite.com/news/r/001017/11/odd-royalty-dc
Updated 11:12 AM ET October 17, 2000

LONDON (Reuters) - If royal genes have anything to do with electoral success, then Republican U.S. presidential candidate George W. Bush will be the next man in the White House, Britain's blue blood bible said Tuesday. Burke's Peerage, a revered guide to the breeding of the aristocracy, said both Bush and his rival Al Gore are of royal descent, but investigations deep into their heritage show Bush has far more noble and royal connections.

Bush is closely related to every European monarch on and off the throne -- including the King of Albania -- and has kinship with every member of Britain's royal family, the House of Windsor.

He is a 13th cousin of Britain's Queen Mother, and of her daughter Queen Elizabeth and is a 13th cousin once removed of the heir to the throne, Prince Charles.

Bush's family tree can be documented as far back as the early 15th century.

He has a direct descent from Henry III and from Henry VIII's sister Mary Tudor, who was also the wife of Louis XI of France. He is also descended from Charles II of England.

"WELL ENDOWED"

"It is now clear that Mr. Gore and Mr. Bush have an unusually large number of royal and noble descents," said Harold Brooks-Baker, publishing director of Burke's Peerage.

"In point of fact, never in the history of the United States have two presidential candidates been as well endowed with royal alliances."

Brooks-Baker said there had always been a significant "royalty factor" in those who aspired to the White House, with Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Franklin and Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan, among others, all boasting blue blood links.

Democrat candidate Gore, who is currently lagging Bush by one point in opinion polls ahead of U.S. elections in November, has a less illustrious gene pool.

Being a descendant of Edward I, he is also a cousin of former U.S. president Richard Nixon, who resigned from the White House in 1974 for his part in the Watergate scandal.

But Gore does have direct links to the holy Roman Empire.

He is a descendant of Roman Emperors Louis II, Charles II and Louis I and is therefore also a direct descendant of Charlemagne -- the eight-century Emperor.

The problem is, Gore's Charlemagne links also make him a cousin of George W. Bush.