Princess Kate: Jewish?

Finally, another princess. My royalty-loving heart fluttered as reports circulated about Prince William’s proposal to Kate Middleton. Naturally, I was very happy for the handsome young couple. Interestingly, though, as I researched Kate Middleton, I found that some people think she might be Jewish. Fascinated, I took a deeper look at these claims.

J Weekly examined Kate’s family tree, concluding that, unfortunately, there was no Jewish blood in her lineage. According to JewornotJew.com, “You see, Kate’s mother’s maiden name is Goldsmith….And for at least five generations, Kate’s Goldsmiths have been married in churches. Nothing Jewish about that.” The idea of a website figuring out whether or not people are Jewish, secretly or openly, seems a bit disturbing to me, but its description of Kate seems harmless enough. Even if her mother’s family was originally Jewish — a theory that seems to stem from nowhere — they’ve been Christian long enough for them to be effectively non-Jewish.

If Kate had been Jewish, would that affect her taking the royal crown? J Weekly cites a report that explains that one in the line of royal succession could only be disqualified for marrying a Catholic. However, if Kate was Jewish, she would face a generous amount of criticism from racists who hate to see anyone of a minority group triumph. Some might jeer at a royal family—which, traditionally, have been sticklers for purity of lineage—allowing a Jewish individual to marry into their clan.

One day, I’d love to see a Jewish individual marry into the British royal family, if only for the fact that the existence of a Jewish royal might open some people’s minds. Sure, the royal family is antiquated and few people today might look to them for examples of how to live their lives, but, if one of the most famous families in the world is able to accept a Jewish person into its midst, then perhaps some of the more prejudicial groups might think twice before they spurned a Jewish individual.

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