Prince William’s surprising American roots trace back to patriots who battled the British: book

The future king of Britain descends from American patriots who fought against the crown he is destined to inherit, according to a new book tracing Prince William's family tree.

In "American Crown," Stephanie Green traces the Prince of Wales' extraordinary American lineage to Revolutionary War patriot Nathan Hale and other colonial ancestors.

"The more I read about the family, the more interesting it was," Green told Fox News Digital. "All the characters in the family tree are so fascinating, and it's an American success story. The fact that he has this American bloodline — I don't even know if he's aware of it."

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Fox News Digital reached out to Kensington Palace for comment. A spokesperson for the palace previously told Fox News Digital it does not comment on books.

Green said that through William's mother, the late Princess Diana, his lineage traces back to Benajah Strong.

"The Strongs have been in this country for a very long time, since the 1600s," Green said. "Benajah was from Coventry, Connecticut, which places him not only in the heart of the American Revolution but at its very beginning. Coventry was a hotbed of anti-monarchist sentiment, and Benajah's role during the American Revolution was to spread the word that the British were on the march. He was part of what we call 'The Lexington Alarm.'"

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"Benajah's grave is still in Coventry," Green added.

The first Strong ancestor emigrated from England to New England in 1635, according to The Washington Post. William's sixth-great-grandfather was born in Coventry in 1740 and enlisted as a private in the Connecticut militia.

Strong's nephew was Nathan Hale, whom Green described as "our most famous American martyr and one of our most famous American patriots."

"He was the son of Benajah's sister," Green said. "He was captured and hanged by the British in 1776, shortly after the American Revolution began. Unfortunately, his remains have never been found. People in Coventry have memorials in his honor and still hope his remains will one day be found and returned to his hometown."

Hale, who studied at Yale, was a teacher in Connecticut when the Revolutionary War began, according to The Washington Post. Like his uncle, Hale joined the Connecticut militia. The outlet reported that Hale later joined Knowlton's Rangers, widely considered the first organized U.S. military intelligence unit.

In 1776, Hale traveled to British-occupied Long Island on a spying mission, posing as an unemployed Dutch schoolteacher. Some historians have argued that Hale's fatal mistake was carrying his Yale diploma with him. He was captured by British forces in Queens. 

After being interrogated, Hale was hanged at age 21, about two months after the Declaration of Independence.

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Hale's reported last words were, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."

During her research, Green said she discovered a surprising connection to America's first president.

"Everyone who follows the royal family knows about the Spencer family, a very aristocratic family from England," Green said. "Diana, of course, was Lady Diana Spencer when she married the Prince of Wales in 1981, but people probably don't know that the Spencer family and George Washington's family go way back."

"I have a whole chapter on Sulgrave Manor, which is George Washington's ancestral home in England," Green said. "It's right down the road from Althorp, the Spencer family estate. In fact, the Spencers and the Washingtons were quite friendly. The Spencer girls worked at the Washington home, and the Washington children were friends with the Spencer children. The families were very close."

"The Washington family moved to America, as many families did," Green continued. "But Sulgrave Manor is still there. You can visit it and learn more about George Washington's family."

One ancestor, Green said, instantly reminded her of Diana.

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"The most shocking and fascinating character is Fannie Work, later known as Fannie Roche, or Frances Burke Roche," Green said. "She's the great-great-great-grandmother of the future king."

"She was a fascinating woman," Green said. "She was an American heiress born around 1857. She came of age during the Gilded Age and was associated with many of the era's luminaries. She knew Alice Roosevelt."

"What fascinated me most was that she lived life on her own terms. She had two scandalous divorces during a time when people rarely even said the word 'divorce' in polite society. She was determined to live life her own way. The more I read about her, the more I realized how many similarities she shared with Diana."

"They were both beautiful," Green said. "They were both glamorous. They both courted scandal. They seemed to have everything going for them. People were fascinated by them, yet they were rebels at heart."

Depending on the account, Work either never regained her social standing or lived lavishly between New York, Newport, Rhode Island, and Paris while avoiding another marriage, according to American Aristocracy. She later bought an apartment on New York City's Fifth Avenue, where she died in 1947 at age 90.

Green believes that, had Diana lived, she would have embarked on a new life across the Atlantic.

"She was spending a lot of time in America during the last years of her life," Green said. "She had many American friends. She was also planning to move here. I interviewed her priest and, according to him and other sources, she loved America and planned to settle here. She was looking into buying a home in Beverly Hills or the Malibu area. How ironic and wonderful that she might have returned to the land of her ancestors."

What would William's ancestors say today, knowing their descendant will become king? It depends on whom you ask, Green said.

"I think some of them would be delighted that one of their own will be king," Green said. "I think William's ancestors would be delighted not only that he will be king, but that he is a good man. He's a devoted family man. He has a wonderful wife and wonderful children. I think they would admire the fact that he has many American qualities."

"He's very independent," Green said. "He has a rebellious streak. He can be stubborn, and he loves his family. He loves his country, and he's a patriot in his own way. I think that even though they might be amused that their descendant is part of the monarchy they once fought against, they would be very proud that one of their own has become such a good and beloved man."