Afghan lineage

In 2004 it was revealed that Reiniger is the "Prince of Ghor," a province in western Afghanistan. Reiniger's great, great, great grandfather, Josiah Harlan, was the first American to set foot in Afghanistan. Harlan was granted sovereignty, in perpetuity, for himself and his descendants by Refee Beg in exchange for military support. The Hazaras had been raided by Uzbek warlords, particularly Murad Beg, and were nominal vassals of the Emperor of Afghanistan.

The Emir Dost Mohammad Khan sent Josiah Harlan with an armed group to collect tribute from the Hazaras. The Hazara leaders, of whom the most prominent was Refee Beg, offered to send tribute if Harlan would unite them in the struggle against the raiding Uzbek warlords. The agreement reached included Harlan being made hereditary paramount ruler and advocate. The British arriving later negotiated with the Emperor for the departure and loss of temporal power of Harlan.

In his later life, Josiah Harlan continued advocating for the Hazaras. Reiniger has expressed mild interest in the title and suggests passing it to his younger brother, Harlan Reiniger, a historian and PBS documentary producer. But in general, he considers the title an anecdote and curiosity of no real-world importance.^[4]

Television