An accountant from High Wycombe is using DNA evidence to try to show that he should be the next baronet of Stichill, the Guardian reports.
Charles II created the Scottish baronetcy in 1683, and the current dispute centers on whether a possible generations-old affair affected the bloodline. The Queen referred the matter to a judicial committee to consider.
The 10th baronet of Stichill, Sir Steuart Robert Pringle, died in 2013 and the title is disputed between his son, Simon Robert Pringle, and a second cousin, Norman Murray Pringle, the Guardian says, noting that no land or property are attached to the baronetcy.
DNA analysis of Sir Steuart Robert Pringle has found that his genes don't match those of other Pringles. It's alleged that the 8th baronet was not the father of Norman Hamilton Pringle, the 9th baronet, and that the title should then pass to Norman Murray Pringle, who is descended from the second son of the 8th baronet.
The Guardian notes that DNA evidence hasn't before been used to sort out hereditary titles.