I'm afraid I couldn't bring myself to wade through the millions of syrupy words in the papers today about Prince William and Kate Middleton, However, the only aspect that interested me is Kate's ancestry which, on her paternal side, is from Yorkshire, as many listers will probably already know. The Middletons were a prominent Leeds legal family, her great-grandfather Richard Noel Middleton (usually known by his middle name of Noel) being a solicitor born in Leeds in either late 1878 or early 1879. His father and grandfather were also Leeds solicitors. Noel Middleton married Olive LUPTON at Mill Hill Chapel, Leeds, in 1914. Olive was of the even more prominent Lupton family, who played a considerable part in the business and social life of Leeds in the 19th and early 20th centuries, building up textile mills and an engineering business and becoming city councillors and holders of various public offices. However, three Lupton brothers, Kate's gt-gt-uncles, all died in World War I. I won't bore you with all the details but those interested in seeing whether they may have a connection will find a full family tree back to gt-gt-grandparents at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Middleton and a link on that page to a story in the Yorkshire Post in 2006 at: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/features/The-Leeds-connection.1760281.jp Perhaps when - or if - she ever becomes Queen Kate and has a family, she will sing "On Ilkla Moor 'baht 'at" to her kids! Oh dear - is this post going to get me sent to the Tower, I wonder? -- Roy Stockdill Genealogical researcher, writer & lecturer Newbies' Guide to Genealogy & Family History: www.genuki.org.uk/gs/Newbie.html "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." OSCAR WILDE