So, um, consanguineous. A daunting word to pronounce, let alone spell, but what does it mean? It is a reference to having a common ancestry. In some cases, this is simple. My brother and I obviously share a common ancestry – we’re brothers – but in other cases, the shared bloodline might be obscure. There are distant links between myself, and former US President Bill Clinton, going back hundreds of years to the Scottish Highlands.
Some even more obscure bloodlines might yet exist within my family tree. It is possible (though I don’t know how likely) that I might be a distant ancestor of King Edward III, and by that same lineage, I might be distantly related to actor Danny Dyer. This is by no means certain, for this extremely diluted link comes via a third party, and my connection to them would be extraordinarily distant to begin with.
Go back far enough, and it stands to reason we might all share some very tenuous bloodlines. Royal families were known to have some very promiscuous members, and the taking of mistresses was not unusual. There would have been plenty of illegitimate children to perpetuate the bloodlines, and thus connections would be forged. I might be the rightful heir to the throne! However, that’s probably a mere dream…
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