Queen Margaret Pedigree

The **Queen Margaret Pedigree** is a genealogical record of the royal families of Belgravia and Montenaro.

## Description and History

The pedigree is in the form of two separate family trees on a large leaf (approximately 24 by 36 inches) surrounded by a gilded frame. The name by which it is referred to by scholars comes from its possession by Margaret, then The Duchess of Montenaro at the time of her visit to Belgravia during her engagement to Prince Edward. The left half of the document shows the royal line of Belgravia, while the right half appears to depict the ruling house of Montenaro. For each family, six (or possibly seven) generations are given.

Each individual is represented by a painted or photographed portrait, beneath which the name and year of birth and death (if deceased) are displayed. As in many pedigree charts, marriages are indicated by horizontal lines between portraits. Descendants are indicated by lines descending vertically from those indicating marriages. In each case where descendants are indicated, only one child is shown. It is not known whether this is because none of the couples had any additional issue, or because only a couple's heir is shown. For each family, the members of the sixth generation (Prince Edward of Belgravia and Queen Margaret of Montenaro) have no known siblings, so inferences can not be drawn.

Monarchs of Belgravia are indicated by a golden coronet with alternating points of strawberry leaves and pearls placed next to the portrait of the corresponding person. Monarchs of Montenaro are similarly indicated by a crown with half-arches.

## Belgravian Royals Listed

The left side of the pedigree lists 14 members of the Belgravian royal family (or families) spread across 6 (or possibly 7) generations. The royal Belgravian arms surmount lettering naming the family as "The Belgravians," presumably a demonymic term.

## Montenaran Royals Listed

The right side of the document features a monogrammed letter M surmounting lettering giving the name "The Montenaros." Queen Margaret of Montenaro is listed, along with a woman named Anne, who is believed to be Margaret's mother, The (late) Grand Duchess of Montenaro, who is pictured alongside a man whose name can not be read, but is apparently The (late) Grand Duke of Montenaro. In total, 15 members of the royal family or families are shown, but the names of most are not discernible. Four monarchs are clearly indicated, with crown also placed between the parents of Queen Margaret, causing a great deal of discussion and confusion among scholars.

## Disputed Information

It is unknown whether six or seven generations of each family are shown. The top row of each family is linked to the row below via a diagonal line between two portraits, which may indicate either descent or marriage.

While the label "The Belgravians" appears to be a demonymic designation, the description of the Montenaran royals as "The Montenaros," alongside with the monogrammed letter M surmounting the text seem to function as a dynastic or family name. Both of these names are inconsistent with the known dynastic names of the respective royal houses, Wyndham and and Delacourt respectively. One possibility is that the designations listed on the pedigree are used because the royal lines of succession in both kingdoms pass through multiple families. That is, it may be that the House of Wyndham ascended the Belgravian throne with the reign of King James II, whose parentage is currently unknown. According to the pedigree, it appears he may have inherited the throne via his wife, Queen Sophia, whose father was King Albert of Belgravia. As the only known relationship between Albert and James II was via the latter's marriage to Sophia, the two monarchs may have come from different royal houses, necessitating the use of "The Belgravians" as an umbrella term.

The case of "The Montenaros" is perhaps even more confusing, as the only information known regarding the parents of Queen Margaret is that her father, The Grand Duke of Montenaro, and mother (presumably The Grand Duchess of Montenaro) died while Margaret was in her youth. Because Margaret came to the throne due to the death of King Dennis and the abdication of Prince Howard rather than inheriting it directly from her father, it is unknown why a crown appears on the pedigree between her parents. One possibility is that the individuals shown are not Margaret's parents, but rather represent King Dennis and his consort, and thus depict Margaret's regnal predecessors rather than her direct genealogical ancestors. Such an interpretation might create sufficient ambiguity to make room for the confusion surrounding the name of King George/Leopold of Belgravia, though it is thought that George and Leopold are one and the same, and that he is the biological father of Prince Edward. In any event, the couple pictured as the regnal or familial ancestors of Margaret are not shown to have any other heirs or children. That is, Prince Howard does not appear to be pictured. It is not known if this is due to his abdication or for some other reason.