New book reveals Kennedy heir once dated a relative of Queen Elizabeth

The Kennedy family and the British royal family came surprisingly close to becoming related by marriage, according to a new book exploring the long history between the two famous dynasties.

In The Kennedys and the Windsors: The Story of Two Dynasties, One Born, One Made, author Caroline Hallemann reveals that Robert F Kennedy's granddaughter, Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo, was once romantically linked to Alex Ogilvy, a relative of Queen Elizabeth II, while the pair were students at Brown University.

Hallemann writes that the relationship represented perhaps the closest the two families have come to being united through marriage. Although the romance did not last, it created a rare personal connection between America's most famous political dynasty and Britain's royal family.

Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo comes from one of the most prominent political families in the United States. She is the daughter of Kerry Kennedy and former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, while her grandfather was Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Through her mother's side, she is also part of the extended Kennedy family founded by patriarch Joseph P. Kennedy.

Ogilvy, meanwhile, is the grandson of Princess Alexandra, Queen Elizabeth II's cousin. Princess Alexandra was a prominent working royal for decades and famously served as a bridesmaid at Queen Elizabeth's wedding to Prince Philip in 1947. Although Ogilvy is a member of the extended royal family, he sits far down the line of succession and is not considered a likely future monarch.

The revelation is one of several personal connections highlighted in Hallemann's book, which examines nearly a century of interactions between the Kennedys and the Windsors. The relationship between the two families dates back to 1938, when Joseph P Kennedy was appointed United States ambassador to the United Kingdom, placing the families in each other's orbit for generations to come.

The book also explores how both families have intersected with celebrity culture over the years. On the Kennedy side, it references John F. Kennedy's alleged relationship with Marilyn Monroe, Maria Shriver's marriage to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Conor Kennedy's romance with Taylor Swift. The royal family's Hollywood connections include Prince Harry's marriage to former actress Meghan Markle.

Hallemann's book argues that despite their different origins, one a hereditary monarchy and the other a political dynasty, the Windsors and the Kennedys have long occupied similar positions in the public imagination, attracting fascination on both sides of the Atlantic.

While a royal-Kennedy wedding never materialised, the brief relationship between Kennedy-Cuomo and Ogilvy remains a little-known chapter in the intertwined histories of two of the world's most famous families.