Catherine, Princess of Wales

Duchess Catherine in 2011, Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

Birth Name: Catherine Elizabeth Middleton

Place of Birth: Reading & Wokingham, Berkshire, England, U.K.

Date of Birth: 9 January, 1982

Ethnicity: English, as well as 1/16th Scottish, 1/512th French

Catherine, Princess of Wales, is the wife of William, Prince of Wales, the heir apparent to the British throne. The couple has three children, including Prince George of Wales.

Her mother, Carole Elizabeth (Goldsmith), worked as a flight attendant, and her father, Michael Francis Middleton, worked as a flight dispatcher, later becoming an airlines officer at British Airways. Duchess Catherine is the eldest of three children. Her sister is Pippa Middleton.

Duchess Catherine is of almost entirely English descent, along with 1/16th Scottish ancestry, and remote French roots (1/512th French) from a French ancestor who left France for England in the 1600s. Duchess Catherine has ancestors from Leeds and County Durham.

Duchess Catherine’s paternal grandfather was Peter Francis Middleton (the son of Richard Noël Middleton and Olive Christiana/Christina Lupton). Peter was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. Richard was the son of John William Middleton and Mary Asquith. Olive was the daughter of Francis Martineau Lupton, a politician, and of Harriet Albina Davis. Francis’ parents, Francis Lupton, Esq. and Frances Lupton (born Frances Elizabeth Greenhow), were members of the politically active Lupton family in Leeds, and Frances worked to open educational opportunities for women. She co-founded Leeds Girls’ High School. Frances’ aunt, Kate’s great-great-great-great-great-aunt, was social theorist and Whig writer Harriet Martineau.

Duchess Catherine’s paternal grandmother was Valerie Glassborow (the daughter of Frederick George Glassborow and Constance Robison). Valerie was born in Marseille, France, to English parents, from West Ham, Essex. Frederick was the son of Frederick John Glassborow and Emily Jane Elliott/Elliot. Constance was the daughter of Gavin Fullarton Robison and Sarah Ann Gee.

Duchess Catherine’s maternal grandfather was Ronald John James Goldsmith (the son of Stephen Charles Goldsmith and Edith Eliza Chandler). Ronald was born in Uxbridge, Middlesex, England. Stephen was the son of John Goldsmith and Jane Dorsett. Edith was the daughter of Theophilus Benjamin Chandler and Amelia White.

Duchess Catherine’s maternal grandmother was Dorothy Harrison (the daughter of Thomas Harrison and Elizabeth Mary Temple). Dorothy was born in Sunderland, Durham, England. Thomas was the son of John Harrison and Jane Hill. Elizabeth was the daughter of Thomas Temple and Elizabeth Myers.

Catherine’s last traceable matrilineal ancestor is Elizabeth Dunn, who was born c. 1660.

Genealogist William Addams Reitwiesner wrote Duchess Catherine’s ancestral lineage out as such, with approximate fractions:

*93.6% English
*6.3% Scottish
*0.2% French

Duchess Catherine is sometimes stated on the internet to have Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, sometimes specifically through the Goldsmith line. These claims are not accurate.

Sources: Genealogies of Catherine, Princess of Wales – http://www.wargs.com
https://www.geni.com
http://www.wikitree.com
http://famouskin.com
https://www.famechain.com

Information on some of Duchess Catherine’s Lupton relatives – http://cdn.thejournal.ie