Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene has Irish roots
Now it looks as if Her Serene Highness is almost as posh as her husband — and with more Irish blood in her, too.
Research commissioned by Tourism Ireland and carried out by genealogy experts Eneclann revealed that Princess Charlene’s ancestors can be traced back to the 1520s and a prominent Dublin family called the Fagans.
Yesterday, Princess Charlene was presented with a Certificate of Irish Heritage by Rory Montgomery, Irish ambassador to France, in the Prince’s Palace in Monaco, with Prince Albert in attendance.
The certificate is an official recognition by the Government of those who are proud of their Irish ancestry and heritage.
While the Irish connections of Prince Albert and his mother Princess Grace are well documented, this latest research shows that Princess Charlene descends on her paternal line from the Fagans of Feltrim, one of the most successfulgentlemen-merchant families in Dublin in the 16th and 17th centuries.
The Fagans made a number of enduring contributions to the development of Dublin, which are still visible in the city today.
In 1592, Richard and Christopher Fagan, the Princess’s great (x12) grandfathers, were key figures in the foundation of Trinity College Dublin; and in the 1660s, Christopher Fagan, the Princess’s great (x9) grandfather, sold the manor of Phoenix to the Duke of Ormond to create a royal deer park — which we know today as the Phoenix Park.
At the end of the 17th century, the Fagan family moved to Killarney, where they continued to prosper in international commerce, trading with the East Indies and colonial America.
The last of the princess’s direct ancestors born in Ireland was her great (x4) grandfather, Christopher Sullivan Fagan, who was baptised in St Mary’s, Shandon, in Cork in 1781.
Finola O’Mahony of Tourism Ireland said: “We hope that the princely couple will consider a visit to Ireland in the near future, to see for themselves the places associated with both of their family histories.”
- Princess Charlene descends on her paternal line from the Fagans of Feltrim, one of the most successful families in Dublin in the 16th century.
- The Fagans were major donors to the restoration of Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, after the nave of the cathedral collapsed in 1562.
- In 1592, the Princess’s great (x12) grandfathers, brothers Christopher and Richard Fagan, were key figures in the foundation of Trinity College Dublin.
- Christopher and Richard Fagan were both mayors of Dublin — in 1573 and 1587 respectively.
- In the 1660s, Christopher Fagan, Princess Charlene’s great (x 9) grandfather, sold the manor of Phoenix to the Duke of Ormond, to create a royal deer park — Phoenix Park.
