What would you do if you found out that you were related to royalty? It’s an enticing thought, sure. While many of us aren’t lucky enough to have royal relations, we do know that many of our favorite celebrities are related to royals — namely, the British royal family — in various, distant ways. Luckily, we’ve been able to figure out which celebs have blessed bloodlines and we thought you might like to know who has royal relations. And why wouldn’t you want to know? Most of these celebs aren’t in any line of succession, but they’re connected to names that might give you flashbacks to high school history class.
Take a peek to see which celebrities are related to royals in some way.
Meghan Markle
You already know that Meghan Markle’s entry into the royal family (she’s now the Duchess of Sussex) was a huge deal, in part because she’s considered a “commoner,” but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have royal blood, if only distantly. On her father’s side, she’s a direct descendant of King Edward III via Rev. William Skipper, who immigrated to Boston in 1639, making her and Prince Harry 17th cousins. According to the New England Historic Genealogical Society, America’s oldest genealogical society, Meghan and Harry are cousins in more than 200 ways.
Hilary Duff
According to genealogy website Find My Past, former Disney Channel star Hilary Duff was dubbed the “most royal” U.S. celeb in 2012 due to her close connections to Queen Elizabeth II. Duff is a descendant of King Edward III through Alexander Spotswood, who was Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in the 1700s. This connection makes Duff the 18th cousin of Queen Elizabeth.
Beyoncé
The Queen Bey isn’t just royal in name; she’s got royal blood too. Beyoncé is related to her 25th cousin, Queen Elizabeth, through her Louisiana French ancestors all the way up to King Henry II, according to Find My Past. His wife was Eleanor of Aquitaine of France, making Beyoncé a descendant of both British and French royalty. Recently, Beyoncé and her husband, Jay-Z, made a splash by using a portrait of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex as a Mona Lisa-Queen Elizabeth.
Ellen DeGeneres
Daytime TV royalty Ellen DeGeneres is also related to British royalty, but not the queen herself. She’s related to the Duchess of Cambridge, formerly known as Kate Middleton, through shared ancestor Sir Thomas Fairfax, making them 15th cousins.
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie may be interested in playing Cleopatra, but she’s already got a royal connection. Jolie is connected to both French and British royalty through King Philip II of France, who was a descendant of Edward II. According to Find My Past, Jolie descends from his daughter, Marie, while Queen Elizabeth II descends from his son, Louis XIII, making them 26th cousins.
Kit Harington
King in the North Jon Snow isn’t actor Kit Harington’s only royal connection. Harington is a descendant of King Charles II of England through his grandmother, Lavender Cecilia Denny. His grandfather was Richard Harington, who had the title of the 12th Baronet Harington, a title that has existed since the 1400s. But Harington told theLondon Evening Standard that it didn’t mean he had it made growing up.
Rose Leslie
Kit Harington’s newly wedded wife and former Game of Thrones costar, Rose Leslie, is also royally related — to him. In an almost classic Game of Thrones twist, Leslie and Harington are distant cousins through Charles II.
Tilda Swinton
The striking actor who has played a Narnian Queen is related to Scottish royalty in real life. Swinton is related to Scottish king Robert the Bruce (who was recently played by Chris Pine in the Netflix film Outlaw King), who freed Scotland from English rule in the 14th century, through both her mother’s and father’s family trees.
Guy Ritchie
The New England Historic Genealogical Society also connected director Guy Ritchie to the Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge through their shared ancestor, David Martineau. Ritchie actually attended the wedding of sixth cousin Catherine in 2011.
Madonna & Céline Dion
Singers Madonna and Céline Dion are both distant cousins to Prince Charles’ wife, Camilla (née Parker-Bowles), Duchess of Cornwall, through French-Canadian Zacharie Cloutier, a carpenter who immigrated to Canada in the 1600s.
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