At least Queen Elizabeth II died with the timely approval of Dr. Oz. The long-reigning monarch passed away on September 8, a mere one day after controversial comments from Republican United States Senate candidate and miracle cure aficionado Dr. Mehmet Oz regarding familial relations resurfaced. On a now notorious 2014 interview on the "The Breakfast Club," Oz gave his advice to a listener who fretted because he "can't stop smashing my cousin." Oz offered the all-clear, saying, "If you're more than a first cousin away, it's not a big problem." This would have been a relief to the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who married and smashed his third cousin, a woman whose face was on all of his nation's money and stamps.
Our modern understanding of cousin smashing — especially in the age of unexpected Ancestry.com revelations — is complicated.
