Queen Victoria and many of her descendants carried what was once called "Royal disease" -now known as hemophilia, a blood clotting disorder.

Because according to a report in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, it's more cost effective to reduce the cases of a disease in hard-hit areas than to struggle to find a cure.

Thomas says the legendary inbreeding of Egypt's royal families probably had little to do with the incidence of heart disease, however.