This is why ancient DNA studies — from Neanderthal genetics to forensic analysis of historical materials — routinely focus on mitochondrial DNA rather than nuclear DNA. It is not the most informative option; it is the available option.
The tradeoff is that mitochondrial DNA only tells part of the story. Because mitochondria are inherited exclusively through the maternal line — a person inherits their mitochondria from their mother, who inherited them from her mother, and so on — the results speak only to maternal ancestry. They tell us nothing about paternal ancestry. They tell us nothing about nuclear genetic characteristics. And, critically for the Kaspar Hauser case, they test only the specific hypothesis about the maternal line: was his mother Stéphanie de Beauharnais, or someone in Stéphanie’s maternal lineage?
That hypothesis is now excluded. The results say nothing about other possible theories of his origin, about the paternal line, about where in Europe his family might have been located, or about any theory of his origins that does not involve the Baden maternal line.
As Professor Turi King of the University of Bath — who collaborated on the study and previously led the team that identified the remains of King Richard III using similar ancient DNA techniques — stated publicly: “Sadly our data still can’t tell us who he was.” The study closed one door. The room behind it is still dark.
—
## What “99.9994 Percent Not a Prince” Actually Means
Coverage of the 2024 study circulated a striking statistic: Kaspar Hauser was 99.9994 percent not a prince.