I was reading recently that Ancestry.co.uk commissioned a survey revealing some interesting facts about us Brits. The results revealed that half of Brits have immigrant ancestry yet few of us know about it, as well as the following facts:
• Most common countries of origin are Ireland, France and Germany
• Of the 30 million Brits descended from immigrants, 25 million (84 per cent) know nothing of their foreign ancestry
• One in 10 Brits is of French or German descent and half of us can trace our roots outside of the UK
You might be surprised to know that the following British personalities descended from foreign immigrants:
• Camilla Parker-Bowles – The Duchess of Cornwall is descended from a French-Canadian carpenter named Zacharie Cloutier
• Boris Johnson – the Mayor of London has uncovered a wealth of immigrant blood in his family tree, including ancestors from Turkey, France and America
• Helen Mirren – the actress famed for her role as the Queen of England, was born Ilyena Vasilievna Mironov. Her father was from a long line of Russian noblemen.
Reprinted with the kind permission of Ancestry.co.uk
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