Is there a way to confirm family DNA relationship with Wilhelm II (Kaiser)?

+1 vote
2.2k views

My father informed his family that he was the Kaiser's (Wilhelm II) illegitimate son. He is deceased now. I am his daughter and would like to know if it is possible to do a comparison DNA test with Kaiser relatives which I am willing to do. I am thinking about going to a accredited DNA lab to ensure legal chain of custody. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

in Genealogy Help by H Peters G2G Rookie (160 points)
Just to add to what John answered below, "accredited DNA lab" generally means one used for judicial, forensic, or government identification purposes. These won't do you any good because they test for a couple dozen of what are called autosomal STR (Short Tandem Repeat) markers. This is what, for example, law enforcement agencies in most countries use, and what's brought into play in legal paternity cases. The issue is that it can do an excellent job of identifying an individual or proving the closest degrees of relationship (i.e., parent/child or full sibling), but these types of tests can't help at all with establishing a relationship to a long-deceased ancestor. In order for it to have been applicable even for your father, both he and the Kaiser would have had to have taken the same type of test. Besides, these are typically more expensive than the testing we do for genealogy.
Good day

Did you succeed with your endeavor to prove you're related to Kaiser Wilhelm II?

I'm a descendant of his grandfather Kaiser Wilhelm I and I'd also like evidence.

Looking forward to hearing from you?

Justin

PS: my great grandmother's father was Friedrich Wilhelm, illegitimate son of the Kaiser, born 1868.

3 Answers

+4 votes

I don't know if any of his close known relatives have done a DNA test, but there are two tests that you could do that would be useful to start with. An autosomal test would be good - they are fairly inexpensive, and you're looking at a recent relationship, so it would fit.

A Y-DNA test could also be beneficial, if you have any brothers. You would not be able to do it yourself, unfortunately.

If you look at his profile, there appears to be at least one tester who shares DNA. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Hohenzollern-3

by John Trotter G2G6 Mach 4 (42.4k points)
Good catch on the Kaiser's "DNA Connection" possibility. Looking at her described relationship, she would be the Kaiser's 1st cousin 3x removed. With H. being a possible grandchild, that would make the two of them 3C1R, definitely within the autosomal matching range.

Thank you John and Edison. Could you please list the steps I need to do. Once an autosomal test is done how do I get the DNA results of Alix (Hesse-Darmstadt) Romanov and Belinda Dettmann to do a comparison? Also, is this called a mtDNA test? 

An mtDNA test won't help you, because you and KW2 are not on the same maternal line. An autosomal test (like Belinda has done) is what you can compare with. You need to buy a test from a testing company (you can see that Belinda has done tests at Family Tree DNA, Ancestry, and 23AndMe). Any of those would suffice. When you do the test, you should see Belinda as a cousin in the DNA results, provided that you are actually both related to KW2.
0 votes

Hi,

I have a story in my family history where a cousin of my grandmother was working as a servant (possibly a maid) in the palace of the last Kaiser of Germany. She supposedly had an illegitimate child (a boy). She and the child left Germany for America. I am wondering if your family tree somehow crosses my mine. Any information you have on this would be appreciated. Thanks.

by Katelyn Overstreet G2G Rookie (200 points)
Katelyn, we have a similar story in my family! It's been told that my great- great grandmother Pauline lived in the castle (also suspect that she was possibly a maid) and my great grandmother Lizetta was born in the castle. My great-great grandfather Henry was a coachman for Kaiser Wilhelm II. When my great grandmother Lizetta was 3 yrs old they came to America just mom and child. We suspect that Lizetta could be an illegitimate child of the Kaiser's, even though her mother Pauline was married to Henry the coachman. I've been digging for information on this for years. Would love to find out the truth.
+1 vote
You need to explore the history of you father.
When and where was he born? Who was his mother? How and under what circumstances did he reveal this information? Finding the answers to those questions will tell you a lot more than a DNA test!!
by Daniel Bly G2G6 Mach 8 (83.5k points)

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132 views asked Oct 22, 2021 in WikiTree Help by Donnie Earnest G2G Crew (410 points)

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