Relatives

Alexander is a descendant of many different noble, royal, and clansmen families of Britain and Europe. The family tree that connects Alexander to all these different dynasties was compiled by Alexander himself, and hence is not proven to be factual. Although there is written proof for later generations, some of the medieval connections are still not proven, or remain entirely speculative based on other written records such as visitations and drawn family trees.

On his maternal side, Alexander claims ancestry from a number of Scottish clans and families, including Fraser, particularly Clan Fraser of Lovat through the Sim sept; MacThomas through the MacCombie sept; MacArthur; Stewart; Macfie through the MacPhee sept; Gordon, through both the Moir sept and a claimed descent from George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly; Skene, including the Skene of Dyce branch; Crichton; Campbell; and Farquharson.

The claimed line of Stewart heritage includes a legitimate descent of King James I of Scotland through his daughter Annabella Stewart and 3 separate illegitimate lines of King James IV of Scotland. His family also descends from the Cruickshank family, which is acknowledged to be one of the septs of Clan Stewart.

Elsie Stewart, his great grandmother, was descended from James Stewart, the second Earl of Galloway, who was a cousin of the House of Stuart. Through the same line, Alexander claims he descends from Sir William Maxwell, the first Baronet of Monreith, who is an ancestor to the Duke of Manchester, Duke of Gordon, and also Diana, Princess of Wales. From this claimed relationship, he refers to himself as the ninth cousin of Princess Diana of Wales, and tenth cousin of William, Prince of Wales.

Alexander can be seen to trace an unusually distant genealogical line that goes all the way back to Kenneth de Moravia, 4th Earl of Sutherland. In this instance the Earldoms succession law is ‘heirs general of the body of the grantee’, this means it can pass through females as well as males and generally to anyone descended from the 1st Earl legitimately. Thus, Alexander is in line to the succession of the Earldom of Sutherland, albeit extremely distantly.

Through his father, Alexander claims to trace his ancestry back to the family of St. John of Bletso and also that of the Nevilles, Percys, de Warrens, and Beauchamps.

Among others, he suggested that his St. John lineage involved Sir Anthony St. John and Baron St. Johns of Bletso. This family was linked to the House of Beaufort, through Sir John St. John who was considered to be a half-brother of Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII.

Alexander’s reconstructed family tree suggests his descent from Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland; George Neville, 4th Baron of Bergavenny; Henry Percy, 2nd Baron Percy; John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey; and Richard Beauchamp, 1st Earl of Worcester.

In sum, there is a pattern of evidence connecting him with the families of Normandy, Plantagenet, Lancaster, York, and Tudor. There is evidence of a connection from King Henry II of England down to William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, along with further connections through Plantagenet monarchs Edward III and beyond. Other connections include those from the Lancastrians via John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, from the House of York via the Neville family, and connections through the Tudors via St. John and Beaufort.

Interestingly he is also descended from John of Gaunt twice. Once maternally through John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, and once paternally through Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland. This also indicates his parents are very distant cousins.

These ancestral links are not made by Alexander as being conclusively proved but rather remain genealogical hypotheses based on documents that are available and historical research that is still ongoing. Each one of these lines has differing degrees of proof, while some have actual documentary proof, others require further substantiation.

He has instructed the College of Arms in London – a Royal Corporation established by Royal Charter – to prepare a pedigree of his maternal ancestors who hail from Scotland. This is done with the objective of tracing his ancestry to Andrew Buchan who was a clansman belonging to Clan Buchan.

The pedigree will then be filed among the records of the College of Arms where the research will be reviewed by James Peill, Garter Principal King of Arms.