I was reading an article at BBC News about Samantha Cameron, wife of David Cameron (the new Tory leader in England), and came across this bit about her ancestry:
Research on Mrs Cameron’s family tree by Cracroft’s Peerage suggests that Nell Gwyn, the mistress of Charles II, is her great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother.
I find it fascinating that genealogy research in the UK is so established, that mainstream media outlets include it when they can – a few days ago there was an article about her husband David and his family history. It’s not as big in the US *yet*, but it’s getting there.