{"id":2165023,"date":"2025-11-18T20:32:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T20:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2165023"},"modified":"2025-11-18T20:32:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T20:32:12","slug":"10-celebrities-you-didnt-know-were-related-to-the-british-royals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/10-celebrities-you-didnt-know-were-related-to-the-british-royals\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Celebrities You Didn\u2019t Know Were Related to the British Royals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Genealogy tools and old family records keep turning up connections no one expects. Every so often, a new discovery shows that a familiar celebrity shares an ancestor with the British royal family. Some trace back to Queen Elizabeth II, others to King Charles III, and the links often stretch across hundreds of years.<\/p>\n<p>What makes these stories fun is how they come to light. A few were uncovered by researchers digging through archives. Others surfaced through DNA kits or television programs that follow family histories. Each one adds a small surprise to the long, branching story of royal bloodlines.<\/p>\n<h2>Angelina Jolie<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure align-caption-with-image\">\n<div class=\"no-margin\">\n<div style=\"max-width:800px;margin:auto\">\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-container-caption-aligned caas-img-loader\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/efwkADu5.3XglxGL3whYiA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NzU-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_family_minded_482\/49a1ec4e85846ea0c2e8d8b3110c0a3b\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Credit: Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n<p>Researchers connected Angelina Jolie\u2019s link through her mother\u2019s lineage. She is the late Queen\u2019s 26th cousin through King Philip II of France. Though the tie is distant, it has been documented by genealogy sources. The actress, who\u2019s been honored for her humanitarian work, even once received an honorary damehood from Queen Elizabeth in 2014.<\/p>\n<h2>Brad Pitt<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure align-caption-with-image\">\n<div class=\"no-margin\">\n<div style=\"max-width:800px;margin:auto\">\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-container-caption-aligned caas-img-loader\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/4Ii7e93mbFjbIUwlBlVMvQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NzU-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_family_minded_482\/e9cdefa8f6b70838c2c4df7d91bfaf99\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/4Ii7e93mbFjbIUwlBlVMvQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NzU-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_family_minded_482\/e9cdefa8f6b70838c2c4df7d91bfaf99\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Credit: Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n<p>While his royal connection doesn\u2019t make headlines often, Brad Pitt shares ancestry with Queen Elizabeth II through King Henry II. That makes them 25th cousins, twice removed. His royal descent places him in the same extended family as several other celebrities. Though it holds no title or responsibility, it\u2019s a fascinating detail about one of Hollywood\u2019s most recognizable figures.<\/p>\n<h2>Hilary Duff<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure align-caption-with-image\">\n<div class=\"no-margin\">\n<div style=\"max-width:800px;margin:auto\">\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-container-caption-aligned caas-img-loader\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/My4YjjV.zylB2zEw9TGLLg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NzU-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_family_minded_482\/39b5695087670960bb598a1d96ed52b5\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/My4YjjV.zylB2zEw9TGLLg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NzU-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_family_minded_482\/39b5695087670960bb598a1d96ed52b5\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Credit: Instagram<\/p>\n<p>Among American celebrities, Hilary Duff has one of the closest royal connections to Queen Elizabeth II. Genealogists traced her lineage back to King Edward III, which made her the Queen\u2019s 18th cousin. She also descends from Alexander Spotswood, a British Army officer with a well-documented noble background.<\/p>\n<h2>Johnny Depp<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure align-caption-with-image\">\n<div class=\"no-margin\">\n<div style=\"max-width:800px;margin:auto\">\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-container-caption-aligned caas-img-loader\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/3uutuW5rrVR4uTpoEmBI1w--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NzU-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_family_minded_482\/33860abe71ba38ef407b3563a8754ee6\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/3uutuW5rrVR4uTpoEmBI1w--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NzU-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_family_minded_482\/33860abe71ba38ef407b3563a8754ee6\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Credit: Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n<p>The revelation of Johnny Depp\u2019s royal ancestry came during an episode of Who Do You Think You Are?. It was uncovered that he shares a 14th-century ancestor with Queen Elizabeth II, King Edward III. The process required tracing back more than 500 years through birth, marriage, and death records.<\/p>\n<h2>Beyonc\u00e9<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure align-caption-with-image\">\n<div class=\"no-margin\">\n<div style=\"max-width:800px;margin:auto\">\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-container-caption-aligned caas-img-loader\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/i_DCWJzch2n8cFHKmSVUgA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NzU-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_family_minded_482\/60f46eea23860cb0a3c9870f606ecb16\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/i_DCWJzch2n8cFHKmSVUgA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NzU-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_family_minded_482\/60f46eea23860cb0a3c9870f606ecb16\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Credit: Instagram<\/p>\n<p>Media outlets have widely covered Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s royal link, largely because the documentation is unusually clear for a lineage that stretches back centuries. Experts traced her ancestry to King Henry II, which places her as the late Queen\u2019s 25th cousin, once removed. CBS News highlighted the findings after genealogy sites mapped out the shared bloodline. She later met Meghan Markle at a film premiere, though neither referenced the historical bond.<\/p>\n<h2>Madonna<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure align-caption-with-image\">\n<div class=\"no-margin\">\n<div style=\"max-width:800px;margin:auto\">\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-container-caption-aligned caas-img-loader\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/58chqTmnPTeQ1GCZC4Qriw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NzU-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_family_minded_482\/ffd1031ab1ca7c4ee5cc38c25d989f5d\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/58chqTmnPTeQ1GCZC4Qriw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NzU-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_family_minded_482\/ffd1031ab1ca7c4ee5cc38c25d989f5d\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Credit: Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n<p>Through Zacharie Cloutier, a 17th-century French-Canadian settler, Madonna and Queen Camilla are 10th cousins. Cloutier has thousands of descendants, but Madonna stands out as one of the most high-profile. The pop star previously expressed admiration for Princess Diana, unaware she had a family connection to the current Queen.<\/p>\n<h2>Jake And Maggie Gyllenhaal<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure align-caption-with-image\">\n<div class=\"no-margin\">\n<div style=\"max-width:800px;margin:auto\">\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-container-caption-aligned caas-img-loader\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/A1wlvdZfiQqVGF2R5b_SMA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NzU-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_family_minded_482\/a1d227f5d44b6f1cb255382b471e1151\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/A1wlvdZfiQqVGF2R5b_SMA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NzU-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_family_minded_482\/a1d227f5d44b6f1cb255382b471e1151\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Credit: Instagram<\/p>\n<p>The Gyllenhaals descend from King Edward III, which means they are the 19th cousins of Queen Elizabeth II. Their noble heritage traces back to a Swedish family line that later intersected with English royalty. Jake and Maggie have never publicly discussed their ancestry, but the genealogy community has confirmed the details through records.<\/p>\n<h2>Richard Gere<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure align-caption-with-image\">\n<div class=\"no-margin\">\n<div style=\"max-width:800px;margin:auto\">\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-container-caption-aligned caas-img-loader\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Fwwp1XdOumbBqFKkl2nquw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NzU-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_family_minded_482\/ee11a9c82f377e841e0392d697816d54\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Fwwp1XdOumbBqFKkl2nquw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NzU-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_family_minded_482\/ee11a9c82f377e841e0392d697816d54\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Credit: Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n<p>Building a decades-long career in Hollywood, Richard Gere became a familiar face in films like Pretty Woman and Chicago, while also gaining recognition for his humanitarian work. Behind the screen presence lies a lesser-known family tie: a verified connection to Queen Elizabeth II, as her 22nd cousin, once removed.<\/p>\n<h2>Brooke Shields<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure align-caption-with-image\">\n<div class=\"no-margin\">\n<div style=\"max-width:800px;margin:auto\">\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-container-caption-aligned caas-img-loader\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/SCYBh07e23Z7JcCiWZAh4g--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NzU-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_family_minded_482\/cfbd5fb9ab4e029728e8502ac44b3065\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/SCYBh07e23Z7JcCiWZAh4g--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NzU-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_family_minded_482\/cfbd5fb9ab4e029728e8502ac44b3065\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Credit: Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n<p>Ancestry researchers linked Brooke Shields to Queen Elizabeth II through King Henry IV of France and John of Gaunt, a son of Edward III. This connection places Shields in the same royal bloodline as several English monarchs. The documents show both French and English noble ancestry converging in her family tree.<\/p>\n<h2>Paris Hilton<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure align-caption-with-image\">\n<div class=\"no-margin\">\n<div style=\"max-width:800px;margin:auto\">\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-container-caption-aligned caas-img-loader\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/wfwx2PV7JoDMW8XBmnWSQw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NzU-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_family_minded_482\/c87d77f4900f1ed35a1102d13c11649e\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/wfwx2PV7JoDMW8XBmnWSQw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NzU-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_family_minded_482\/c87d77f4900f1ed35a1102d13c11649e\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Credit: Instagram<\/p>\n<p>A DNA test revealed that Paris Hilton is a direct descendant of King Henry II and is consequently a distant cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. The detail lands well because it mirrors the world she has spent years presenting, one defined by luxury, family legacy, and social prestige.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.aol.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Genealogy tools and old family records keep turning up connections no one expects. Every so often, a new discovery shows that a familiar celebrity shares an ancestor with the British royal family. Some trace back to Queen Elizabeth II, others to King Charles III, and the links often stretch across hundreds of years. What makes [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2165024,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[29138,183049,415645,415647,24085,415648,415646,403788],"class_list":["post-2165023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-royalty","tag-british-royal-family","tag-king-charles-iii","tag-king-edward-iii","tag-king-henry-ii","tag-queen-elizabeth-ii","tag-royal-ancestry","tag-royal-connection","tag-wikimedia-commons"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/10-Celebrities-You-Didnt-Know-Were-Related-to-the-British.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2165023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2165023"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2165023\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2165025,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2165023\/revisions\/2165025"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2165024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2165023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2165023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2165023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}