Descendants of Charles II of England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The descendants of Charles II of England, Stuart monarch of the Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, are numerous; lines of his many illegitimate children exist to this day. Though Charles's wife Catherine of Braganza was barren, he stayed with her but had numerous mistresses. Some of Charles's illegitimate children were born before his marriage. This article deals with the most senior figures who were descended from Charles' illegitimate male children; the names of his daughters are also mentioned.
Although some of Charles' children made claims to the throne, most notably his first son James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, their illegitimacy meant that after Charles' death, his brother James, Duke of York became king instead. Over the years several of Charles' senior descendants have made names for themselves, including Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton who became Prime Minister of Great Britain, cricket pioneer Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, and parliamentary reformer Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond.
Diana, Princess of Wales was descended from two of Charles' illegitimate sons; Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Grafton and Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond. This means should her son Prince William, Prince of Wales, take to the British throne as he is expected to, William would become the first blood descendant of Charles II to do so. William is part of the royal House of Windsor, rather than the House of Stuart.