They first laid eyes on each other as children at Buckingham Palace and later crossed paths on the polo field at Windsor. Prince Eduard von Anhalt, a descendant of an ancient Germanic line, likes to regale listeners with tales of his close hereditary ties with the British royal family, especially King Charles III. However, the 81-year-old distinguished aristocrat will be just another face in the crowd of journalists covering the event during his illustrious relative's official visit to Berlin from Wednesday. The link between his lineage - from the ancient House of Ascania, which helped create Berlin - and the British royal family is not exactly direct. It derives from the marriage of his great uncle Aribert of Anhalt, who died in 1933, to Princess Marie-Louise, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, herself a great-great-grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II, the prince explained. It was this great aunt, who died in 1956, who invited his mother and siblings to Windsor outside London, where the imposing British royal residence is located. Click 'read more' to learn about the British royal family's links to Germany. |