13 OCTOBER 2007, Page 19

The princess diaries

Sir: It used to be the prerequisite of the late Alastair Forbes to pounce on those who made mistakes, and very often on Taki (High life, 29 September). May I briefly assume Ali's mantle? I have worked out that Princess Michael is indeed a cousin of Taki's ex-wife, Princess Alexandra von SchonburgHartenstein. She is fourth cousin through mutual descent from the Trauttmansdorff family and fifth cousin through shared descent from Joseph Johann Schwarzenberg and Pauline d'Arenberg. The Princess is also related to Etti Plesch herself in two ways. Etti's third husband, Tommy Esterhazy, was a second cousin of Princess Michael's grandmother. Etti also descended from Princess Therese of Mecklenberg-Strelitz, a first cousin of Queen Victoria's father, Edward, Duke of Kent. This makes her a fifth cousin once removed of Prince Michael, and indeed of the Queen. If Taki still disbelieves me, I will be happy to bombard him with genealogical trees, which should preclude the need to descend to actual duelling.

Hugo Vickers Ramsdell, Hampshire www.spectator.co.uk