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Remains of baby with British royal family connections found in wooded area

Remains of baby with British royal family connections found in wooded area
Composite: Constance Marten, UK Police, Crichel House, Wikicommons

The remains of a baby believed to belong to a family with close royal connections has been located in the UK.

Post-mortem tests will be carried out on the body of the baby found in woodland yesterday near Brighton.

Following their arrest on Monday, UK Police are still questioning the baby's parents, Constance Marten and Mark Gordon, on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.

The couple were under investigation by police since January 5th this year after it was reported their baby was born in a vehicle. Sometime later the vehicle in question was found burnt out at the side of a motorway outside Bolton.

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The couple had avoided the authorities since January by sleeping rough and travelling across the UK in taxis.

It is understood that Constance had a promising career ahead of her. After graduating from Leeds University with a degree in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies, Constance worked as a researcher for Al Jazeera. However, it's believed that her encounter with a cult in Lagos, Nigeria was a turning point following which she led an increasingly isolated life.

The baby's mother, Constance Marten, has several connections to the Royal Family. Born in the stately Crichel House in Dorset, her father, Napier Marten, served as Queen Elizabeth II's page. Both Napier's mother and Princess Margeret were childhood friends, while the Queen Mother was the godmother of Constance's grandmother.

Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford said that this is an outcome both he and his officers hoped would not happen.

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"A crime scene is in place and work at the location is expected to continue for some time; this is an outcome that myself and the many officers involved in this search hoped would not happen.

"I recognise the impact this news will have on many people who have been following this story closely and can assure them that we will do everything we possibly can to establish what has happened."

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