It had been a family secret known by everybody for years: great grandmother, Florrie Fergus, was from an upper class English family and had eloped on a sailing ship with a rustic Irishman called Rory O’Flaherty. Her family would have been disgraced, so all was hushed up.

No one knew exactly who the upper class English family was; that is until great grandson Harvey came along with his geological expertise.  Great grandmother Florrie Fergus was the third cousin twice removed of the Duke of Marlborough. She had had a sophisticated home schooling (“palace schooling” would be a better term) and was somehow related to the King of England, Archibald IV. She also played the violin averagely competently.

The tradition whispered down the generations spoke of her as one who was destined to wed Archduke Günter of Bavaria, and instead she ran off with Irish yokel, Rory O’Flaherty, and shamed anyone who had an ounce of decency.

All of this these days might seem to be irrelevant except for one thing: the current heir to the English throne, Princess Gwendoline, announced her engagement to a man called Donal O’Flaherty who happened to be the fourth cousin once removed of Harvey the Genealogist, and the direct descendent of Rory O’Flaherty the Irish rustic.

Shame was once again about to descend upon British nobility. Secret negotiation were underway, but too late. The announcement had been made. Lord Ashville Robson claimed that this was tantamount to incest. Lady Beverley Stern-Rosenberg spoke for many when she said, “Upper class or not, the Princess Gwendoline has no class. Only ignominy can happen when one marries a commoner.”