Possible descendants of King Arthur in the royal families of Britain

[kacht]

Are there any members of the royal families of Britain that have ever claimed to be descendants of King Arthur and if so, what makes them think they are?

[Moog]

How can you be descendant of a myth?

[Obo]

The Welsh name for Arthur is in fact Idris as in the mid Wales mountain Cader Idris (Seat of Arthur), but as Tartanwizard correctly says Arthur probably wasn't a single person but the legend of Arthur has grown from a range of different Celtic tales and myths embellished and added to over the centuries. And in fact it is a common academic belief that one of the main sources of Arthurian legend, Le Morte D'Arthur by Thomas Mallory is largely a work of fiction which borrows very heavily on ancient Welsh fables such as the Mabinogion. There is absolutely no chance that the royal family are in anyway decsended from "Arthur" as they are ultimately descendent of Norman kings and therefore in no way Celtic. I seem to remember watching something on TV where some guy claimed he was a direct descendent of Arthur... but seems unlikely

[Spellmaster]

Obo, Tartanwizard did not say the Welsh name wa Arddyr, he said the Celtic name was Arddyr - ancient Celtic and more modern Welsh are not the same languages. Also, the modern Royal Family are not of Norman descent, but German, the Norman line having disappeared a long time ago.

[Spellmaster]

Sorry Obo, he did say Celtic/Welsh! Point is, ancient Celtic and latter-day Welsh are different, as the use of the two different names shows.

[Waterwolf]

Getting back to the original question, this isn't an actual claim, but it's an example of how rulers could use the Arthurian legend. When Henry VII came to the throne after the Wars of the Roses, he wanted to assert his authority as ruler. One way he tried to do that was by naming his first son (who died young) Arthur, to encourage patriotism and support by recalling the legend.

[straz]

Henry VII claimed descent from the Celtic princes of Wales and as far back as the pre-Saxon rulers of Britain. Extract from:- http://www.frhes.freeserve.co.uk/ And as Waterwolf says, he named his eldest son Arthur.

[Obo]

Great site straz v interesting