Blood of cousins binds Bush, Kerry in the same family tree

US President George W. Bush and Democratic Senator John Kerry have spent another week sniping at each other over who is fittest to lead the world's most powerful nation.

But perhaps their public animosity on the election campaign trail is more down to family feuding than political rivalry.

Foremost Boston genealogist Gary Boyd Roberts has found that Mr Bush and Senator Kerry are related - to the point of being ninth cousins twice removed.

In genealogy-speak, that means they share the same great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparents and are two generations apart.

That Mr Bush, 58, is three years younger than Senator Kerry yet two generations older can be explained by his forebears marrying and having children later over the centuries. The genealogy was based on Senator Kerry's mother's side of the family.

Mr Roberts said both men were also related to Britain's Queen Elizabeth and that President Bush was a 12th cousin to the heir to the throne, Prince Charles.

As with most family trees, though, the one linking President Bush and Senator Kerry is extremely complicated, abounding with stepdaughters, nephews, wealthy maiden aunts and marriages to influential people.