Whether you are willing to fess up to it or not, most of us have a little bit of a royal watcher in us. Some more than others, it seems. 

Laugh if you must, but in my family, we grew up thinking we had royal blood on my mother’s side. My mother’s name is Regina, which is Latin for Queen. We always assumed Regina was part of Her Royal Highness’ name. In actual fact, when you see ‘Elizabeth Regina’ written somewhere in reference to the Queen, it’s not because Regina is part of her name, but because it identified her as royalty.  

As if that wasn’t enough, my mother’s maiden name, Morgan, also had us convinced we were up there when it came to being royal kin. Morgan is a popular family name in Wales, and we were always told that it was one of the oldest last names around with roots back in jolly ol’ England. 

Kin to a King

I’m not sure where this family tale originated, but growing up I remember being told that we were direct kin of  Prince Edward VIII, King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British and Emperor of India. He was the eldest son of King George V and Queen Mary. Edward met and fell in love with American socialite, and divorcée, Wallis Simpson. Edward abdicated the throne after ruling for less than a year because his marriage to Simpson was forbidden. 

There’s another family yarn that says that Mom’s father’s grandfather, John Butler, left England because he fell out with the royal family and felt his life was in danger for not towing the royal family line.  

And if all that wasn’t enough, my mother, with her fancy long-as-all-get out-name (Ealier Regina Butler Morgan Pardy) just seemed like someone who belonged in a royal setting. Prim, proper and always perfectly groomed, even if off moose hunting with my father; to us kids, she was the queen!

Then, when Diana came along, pride in our perceived royal blood surged. I married nine years after the people’s princess did and my gown was Diana-inspired for my own hybrid version of the royal wedding.

While we’ve never proven any actual link to the royal family, and we’ve yet to receive an invite for my “cousin” Harry’s upcoming wedding, it’s still fun to watch with pride and curiosity as the Queen’s family grows and celebrates all their milestones. From births and weddings, to wondering when the next coronation will be, being a royal watcher has been part of who we are as a family since I can remember. 

And we make sure to pass on the “royal” family traditions, too. Regina and Ealier have all made appearances in the names of our third generation, you know, just in case those royal invites start coming. 

We want to make sure we have held true to the “family” traditions. Loyal royal (or wannabes) to the end.