(WEEI) -- As the Red Sox gear up for the MLB's European debut in London on Saturday and Sunday against the Yankees, there is another storyline that seems to have reemerged: Mookie Betts reportedly may be a distant cousin of Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex.
The story was first reported by Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe last May, and was uncovered by Jim McNiff, an amateur genealogist from Burlington. According to McNiff, the ancestors of Betts and Markle were from the same part of Alabama and intersected almost 150 years ago. McNiff was unable to definitively declare whether the two are related, but his research points to a lot of indications that they are.
Markle used to only live about nine miles from London Stadium, which is where the Red Sox-Yankees series will take place, but moved to Frogmore Cottage earlier this year. Though, her new location is still only about two hours away from the stadium.
When Abraham asked Betts about the possibility of meeting her last year when the story first surfaced, the outfielder said, "That would be cool to meet her. I wonder if she's a baseball fan?"
The Red Sox will take on the Yankees Saturday at 1:10 p.m. and Sunday at 10:10 a.m.