New Book Traces Prince William's 1776-Era Roots to American Patriots and George Washington's Family
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 5
New Book Traces Prince William's 1776-Era Roots to American Patriots and George Washington's Family
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 5
Summary
Stephanie Green's new book "American Crown," due July 7, says Prince William descends through Princess Diana from American patriots who fought the British crown he is set to inherit.
Green traces that line to Benajah Strong of Coventry, Connecticut, a 1740-born militia private tied to the Lexington Alarm, and to his nephew Nathan Hale, the 21-year-old patriot spy executed by the British in 1776.
Her research also links Diana's Spencer family to George Washington's English ancestral circle at Sulgrave Manor, near Althorp, where Green says the two families were once close.
The book adds another American branch through Fannie Work, an 1857-born Gilded Age heiress and William's great-great-great-grandmother, whom Green compares to Diana for her glamour, independence and scandal-marked life.
Kensington Palace did not comment on the book, and Green frames the broader irony as a future British king carrying bloodlines from colonists who rebelled against monarchy.