Kissing Cousins Trivia Quiz

Answer: True

Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Princess Margaret were Philip's third cousins through Queen Victoria, and second cousins once removed through King Christian IX of Denmark. According to some, Elizabeth fell in love with Philip when her father, King George VI, asked him to escort the girls while his family was on a tour of the Royal Naval College.

The two began to exchange letters when she was 13, and Philip asked for her hand in marriage when she was twenty years old. They wed the following year, in 1947.

Answer: Swaziland

There are many royal houses in southern Africa. It is common for marriages to happen between these houses. This includes the Swazi, Zulu and Thembu royal houses that are found in southern Africa. Nelson Mandela was a member of the Thembu royal family.

His daughter, Zenani Mandela, married Prince Thumbumuzi Dlamini, an older brother of Mswati III, King of Swaziland in 1973. They had four children before separating early in the 21st century.

Answer: The law excludes royals from the line of succession if they marry non-Thai partners

Ever since the Chakri Dynasty of Thailand was formed in 1782, it has been very common for Thai royals to marry royal relatives. Unlike some other areas of the world, it is not common for Thai royals to choose foreign partners. This is because of the "Palace Law of Succession" that was written in 1924.

It officially excludes members of the royal family from the line of succession to the throne if they marry a non-Thai partner.

Answer: False

In the Kingdom of Hawaii before the island nation became a state in the US, intermarriage amongst the royal family was a regular practice. The marriage of brothers and sisters was considered to be the most perfect union. It was thought that marriage between brothers and sisters was a way to protect the royal bloodline.

Answer: A marriage between a royal and someone of lower status

A morganatic marriage occurs when a member of a royal family chooses to marry someone from a lower class such as a lower-ranking noble or a commoner. It is usually a marriage between a man born into royalty and a woman of lesser status. Morganatic marriages do not allow any claim by the non-royal or the children to any succession rights or titles. Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his morganatic wife, Countess Sophie Chotek are a relatively modern example of a morganatic marriage.

Answer: Korea

Princess Masako of Nashimoto of Japan married Crown Prince Yi Un of Korea in 1920. In 1931, Matsudaira Yosiko, a cousin of Princess Masako of Japan, married the grandson of Gojong of Korea, The Japanese felt that these marriages that interlaced their royalty with Korea's helped them to establish their colonial rule over Korea.

They also saw them as a way to introduce Japanese bloodlines into the Korean royal lines.

Answer: France

Throughout history, members of royal families married for reasons other than love. In some cases, the reason was to gain territory for their country. In this case, when Mary, Queen of Scots married the son and heir of Henry II, a treaty was produced that would guarantee that France would get something out of the union if no children were produced. If that had happened, Scotland would have fallen to France upon her death.

They did have a child, so that was avoided.

Answer: No

After World War I, it became more common for members of Europe's royal families to marry non-royal partners. It had come to be recognized that by marrying only other royals, unwanted family traits were passed along to children. When Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, she was considered a member of the nobility, not a member of a royal family and not a commoner.

Their oldest son Prince William married Catherine Middleton in 2011. She was considered a commoner at that time, not a member of a royal family or of the nobility.

Answer: Lower jaw

Members of the House of Habsburg regularly intermarried with one another. This resulted in one particular genetic trait that was very common amongst many members of the Habsburg families - the "Habsburg Jaw", a long lower jaw that results in an extended chin and an underbite that does not allow the teeth to meet.

This malformation was very common amongst the Habsburg relatives for about six centuries as they encouraged intermarriage with one another.

Answer: His half-sister

It was very common for members of the royal family in Ancient Egypt to marry members of their family due to their belief that the god Osiris and his sister the powerful goddess Isis were married. King Tutankhamun was married to Ankhesenpaaten, who was determined to have been his half-sister using DNA technology.

They shared the same father. They had 2 daughters before Tutankhamun died, but they were both stillborn births.