Bruno Pugh
Ever wondered if your favorite celebrities have royal blood coursing through their veins? Beyond their on-screen charisma or musical prowess, some stars possess lineage that ties them directly to historical royalty. Discover 15 celebrities whose family trees intertwine with monarchs and nobles, revealing a hidden connection to the crown.
Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff’s royal lineage traces back to Robert the Bruce, who was the King of Scots, in the 14th century. He is her maternal great-grandfather, 21 times removed. Due to this ancestry, she has been dubbed the “most royal celebrity of the US,” highlighting her direct connection to Scottish royalty and notable historical figures.
Brooke Shields
Shields’ ancestry includes connections to Queen Elizabeth as her 18th cousin once removed through Henry II of France. Her family tree also features figures like Catherine de Medici, Lucrezia Borgia, Charlemagne, El Cid, William the Conqueror, and King Harold II.
Ellen Degeneres
A long-distance cousin to the Duchess of Cambridge, the mother of the future king of England, Ellen DeGeneres is the 14th cousin to Kate Middleton. According to the New England Genealogical Society, they are related through Sir Thomas Fairfax and his wife, who lived in the United Kingdom in the early 1500s.
Beyonce
Those of you who are fans of Beyoncé will be pleased to hear that she possesses royal blood within her veins. That’s right—she’s a relative of Queen Elizabeth II. According to CBS News, Beyoncé is the Queen’s 25th cousin, once removed, having Henry II as a common ancestor.
Tilda Swinton
Oscar-winning Tilda Swinton is descended from Robert the Bruce, the famed Scottish king who fought against Edward I for Scotland’s independence in the 14th century. Edinburgh researchers discovered that Swinton is 19 generations away from Bruce, who achieved freedom for his country from English domination.
Johnny Depp
It has been discovered that Johnny Depp and Queen Elizabeth II are 20th cousins. This means the actor and Her Majesty share a 19th great-grandfather. Genealogists traced Johnny’s family name to 14th-century French Huguenots who lived in England.
Paris Hilton
Hilton may act like a princess because she has a royal connection! Her mom’s DNA test revealed that the hotel heiress is a 20th cousin of the Queen, tracing back to King Henry II, who ruled from 1154 to 1189.
Rose Leslie
Rose has royal lineage from both her mother and father. Her father leads the Aberdeenshire clan Leslie, and her mother descends from King Charles II. In a twist reminiscent of the Targaryen story, Leslie and Harington are descendants of King Charles II, making them distant cousins.
Kit Harington
Sharing a similarity with his Game of Thrones character, Jon Snow, Kit has royal ancestry. However, Kit’s lineage doesn’t suggest he’s a secret king. His connections to royalty begin with his paternal line: his great-grandfather, Sir Richard Harington, was the 12th Baronet and High Sheriff of Herefordshire.
Bill Hader
Funny guy Hader found out he’s got some serious royal blood. It turns out he’s related to King Edward I of England and even has Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne as his 40th great-great-grandpa! When he found out on the TV show Finding Your Roots, Hader joked, “I mean, the conqueror of Europe?”
Benedict Cumberbatch
Cumberbatch is actually the king’s second cousin, but 16 times removed. And get this—when Richard III was reburied at Leicester Cathedral in 2015, they asked Cumberbatch to do a tribute. So, he read a poem at the ceremony.
Meghan Markle
Upon marrying Prince Harry in 2018 and assuming the position of Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle strengthened her familial connections to the royal lineage. Being a direct descendant of England’s King Edward III, she and Harry are technically distant cousins, specifically 17th cousins.
Ralph Fiennes
Ralph, aka Lord Voldemort, can trace his family tree all the way back to King James II of Scotland. This makes him and Prince Charles eighth cousins. And get this—Charles is also a descendant of King James II, who ruled Scotland from 1437 to 1460.
Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie is an acclaimed British filmmaker known for his distinctive style and gritty narratives. He is a sixth cousin of Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge. This surprising connection is traced through their shared ancestry, making them both descendants of King Edward III.
Dakota and Elle Fanning
Elle Fanning, who played Princess Aurora in Maleficent, and her older sister Dakota are kind of like real princesses. They are the 22nd great-grandchildren of King Edward III, who reigned over England from 1327 to 1377. They’re also the 21st cousins of the Duchess of Cambridge, thanks to Middleton’s mother, Carole Goldsmith, who’s a distant granddaughter of King Edward III, too.