A surprising number of our favorite celebrities
actually have direct connections to monarchies through their bloodline. Here, a list of celebs
who get to claim a royal bloodline as well as all-around fabulously famous.
Hilary Duff. Duff made headlines due to her status as the
closest American celebrity relative of the Queen. Duff is the 18th cousin of Queen Elizabeth
through Alexander Spotswood, an officer of the British Army and the 10th great-grandson
of Edward III.
Ralph And Joseph Fiennes. That's right, Lord Voldemort (and his Emmy-nominated
brother) are able to trace their family lineage all the way back to King James II of Scotland,
which makes them 8th cousins of Charles, Prince of Wales. Charles is also descended from James
II of Scotland, who ruled from 1437–1460.
Brooke Shields. Shields' royal blood should be of no shock,
considering she's always exuded a queen-like confidence. She's the second-most royal celebrity
in America, coming in behind the previously-mentioned Hilary Duff. Shields is Queen Elizabeth's
18th cousin once removed through Henry II of France. Other people hanging from her family
tree are Catherine de Medici and Lucrezia Borgia, Charlemagne and El Cid, William the
Conqueror and King Harold II.
Ellen Degeneres. A familial link through Sir Thomas Fairfax,
makes the beloved talk-show host and Kate Middleton, future Queen of England, distant
cousins. Like all of us would, DeGeneres tried to use her family relation to get in with
one of the cutest royals, Prince George.
Beyoncé. Beyonce isn't just Queen B—she's also the
25th cousin, once removed, of Queen Elizabeth II. Imagine Beyoncé wearing the Crown Jewels
and schmoozing with the royals.
Uma Thurman. The Oscar-winner is the 21st cousin, once
removed to the queen through her ancestor, King Edward I of England.
Tilda Swinton. If you've ever seen the movie Braveheart,
then you know about Swinton's ancestry. The iconic actress is a direct descendant of Robert
the Bruce, the Scottish King who battled with Edward I ("Longshanks") over control of Scotland
in the 14th century.
Johnny Depp. The actor most famously known as Jack Sparrow
is yet another cousin of Queen Elizabeth. Depp is a 20th cousin of Queen Elizabeth through
Edward III.
Madonna. According to the New England Historic Genealogical
Society in Boston, the popstar is descended from French-Canadians Madeleine Bernard and
her carpenter husband Zacharie Cloutier (1617-1708), which makes her a ninth cousin (once removed)
of the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker Bowles.
The Bush Family. The American political dynasty has a connection
to very British dynasty: George and Jeb Bush are 11th cousins, twice removed, of the late
Princess Diana.
Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal. Our favorite Hollywood siblings can trace
their family's lineage back to royalty as descendants of Edward III, King of England
from 1327 through 1377, making them the Queen's 19th cousins. Behind Hilary Duff and Brooke
Shields, these two have the most royal blood of any celebrity in America.
Hugh Grant. The Hollywood heartthrob's got royal blood
running through his veins. It turns out, Hugh Grant is Queen Elizabeth's 9th cousin once
removed. His heritage can be traced all the way back, not only to King Henry VII of England,
but also King James IV of Scotland.
Paris Hilton. Hilton may act like a princess, and maybe
that's because she has a royal connection herself! The socialite is the Queen's 20th
cousin through Henry II on her father Richard Hilton's side of the family.
Guy Ritchie. Just like his ex-wife Madonna, Ritchie's got
some royal connections! He's actually got a very close relationship with Duchess of
Cambridge Kate Middleton, as the two are sixth cousins, and the director was invited to her
2011 wedding to Prince William.
Céline Dion. Like Madonna, Dion is a ninth cousin once
removed of Camilla Parker Bowles, making Dion and Madonna 10th cousins twice removed through
Jean Guyon, one of Quebec’s earliest settlers, and 10th cousins once removed through another
ancestor, Zacharie Cloutier.
Angelina Jolie. Jolie is descended from French royalty through
her mother, Marie Betrand. We can trace her lineage all the way back to the 12th century
French king, Phillip II, the son of Louis VII. That makes Jolie also related to Marie
of France, an influential French royal of the time and Phillip's half-sister. Plus,
Jolie and Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II are 26th cousins. She's pretty buddy-buddy
with the Windsors now, too.
Brad Pitt. Jolie's ex Brad Pitt has some royal lineage
as well! Pitt's roots go back to the 12th century, with King Henry II of England, which
makes him the Queen's 25th cousin, twice removed. Henry II was the husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine,
the first wife of Louis VII, Philip II's father.
Dakota and Elle Fanning. Elle Fanning may have played Princess Aurora
in Maleficent, but she and older sister, Dakota are actual princesses. They're the 22nd great-granddaughters
of King Edward III, who ruled England from 1327 to 1377. They're also are the 21st cousins
of the Duchess of Cambridge, as Middleton’s mother, Carole Goldsmith, is a distant granddaughter
of King Edward III.
Michael Douglas. Michael Douglas comes from a famous family,
but did you know he has royal blood? The Douglas family is actually related to King Edward
III, making Michael the Queen's 19th cousin, once removed.
Kit Harington. Kit Harington has something in common with
his Game of Thrones character Jon Snow: they're both descended from royalty, though Harington's
lineage doesn't make him a secret king. Turns out, Harington is descended from Charles II
of England through his grandmother, Lavender Cecilia Denny (quite possibly the most British
name ever). Denny married Richard Harington, who had the title of the 12th Baronet Harington,
a title that has existed since the 1400s.
Rose Leslie. Rose Leslie is descended from royalty like
her husband Kit Harington, but her's is a little more impressive: She's got royal lineage
on both her mother and father's side. Her father is chieftain of the Aberdeernshire
clan Leslie, and her mother is a descendant of King Charles II. In a Targaryen-like twist,
both Leslie and Harington are descendants of King Charles II, making them very distant
cousins.
Bill Hader. Funnyman Hader is related to both King Edward
I of England and Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne is his 40th great-great grandfather.
Christopher Guest and Jamie Lee Curtis. Did you know that Guest not only holds duel-citizenship
in England and the US, but is also a member of British nobility? Guest's formal title
is 5th Baron Haden-Guest, and at one point, his family had a seat in the House of Lords.
That means Jamie Lee Curtis's full name is Jamie Lee Haden-Guest, Baroness Haden-Guest,
and she is a baroness herself.
Benedict Cumberbatch. A legendary actor in his own right, it's no
surprise he comes from a royal lineage. Cumberbatch is a descendant of King Richard III of England.
Cumberbatch played his ancestor in a series for the BBC, and read a poem at the reburial
of Richard III in Leicester Cathedral in 2015.
Meghan Markle. When she became the Duchess of Sussex after
her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018, Markle deepened her already-existing royal ties.
She's a direct descendant of England's King Edward III, which technically makes her and
Harry 17th cousins. Markle is also related to Jane Seymour, King Henry VIII’s third
wife (you know, the one who died after birth, not one of the beheaded ones). Meghan's 12th
great-grandmother, Isabel Hildyard, was second cousins with Seymour.