Signs That Someone Is A Descendant Of Royalty

1. If you're European

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If you go back far enough, around 32 generations, you would find that everyone alive today shares a common ancestor. In Europe, the lineage would go back just 600 years meaning most people from Europe or with European descent is descended from royalty - in particular Charlemagne.

2. Royal + commoner + intermarriage = higher odds of regal descent

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People tend to mate with people most like themselves in terms of geography, language and socioeconomic status. In some countries the class door was completely shut, in England however, they were fairly open to incorporating wealthy commoner into royal families.

3. You don't need to be fully or legitimately royal to have royal blood

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If you're descended from royalty, it may be via a prince, princess or even a pauper. When royals marry someone of a lesser status (Prince William and Kate Middleton) they become more and more common around the world increasing the number of people with a royal claim. Make sense?

4. Found your families name in a historical record?

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“If you consider that those of noble birth or wealth were often the only individuals that had written records that were created (and have survived), it makes a lot of sense as to why those royal lines are some of the earliest lineages an individual can connect to. While church records might take a family back to the 1600s, landownership and other materials can trace a family back centuries before that date.” - The Guardian

5. Do you have any direct line descendants from elsewhere in the world?

 

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In 2003, a study proved that every 200 men worldwide (16 million in central Asia( are direct line descendants of the 12th century Mongolian emperor Genghis Khan. There were other rulers who also left prolific royal lines behind as well meaning many of us are direct descendants to royalty.

6. Royal lineage is the culprit for spreading certain traits

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King Tut left behind a legacy of inbreeding, recessive ailments and genetic deformities. Brothers and sisters were expected to marry in ancient Egypt which led to a lot of genetic woes like hemophilia, cystic fibrosis, facial asymmetry and immune issues.

7. Do you have Caribbean ancestry?

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If you are from the Caribbean or have Caribbean ancestry and you can trace your family to a white plantation owner then there's a chance that you have royal ancestry. The sons of gentry often emigrated to the Caribbean to make their fortune - meaning a lot of reproducing too.

8. There are millions of people related to Richard III

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It's be proven there are 'literally millions' of people who are related to Richard III - the 15th century king. When his bones were found in Leicester, England professors said there are millions of us alive at this moment in time who are related to his immediate family.

9. If you have American ancestors

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You may also have royal connections if you have any American ancestor and many sons of gentry travelled to the New World. Many American families have documented their British family connections with a large number of them finding royal connections. So cool!

10. Our surnames

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Many of us are descendants from England and back in the middle ages, people were given surnames in accordance to their profession or who's some they were. There were many bastards from the middle ages so if your surname is Smith or Williams then you're likely to be a descendant of nobility.

11. The kings relations

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Everyone alive in the ninth century who left descendants is the ancestor of every living European today. If you're white you'll have a little of everything in you, meaning you'll be part Viking, part Celt, part Anglo-Saxon etc. Everyone is related to some degree so those kings who were spreading their seed left, right and centre will have left descendants.

12. We're all technically related to royalty

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A 2002 article wrote, "Everyone of European ancestry must descend from Muhammad.” Meanwhile, “Confucius, Nefertiti, and just about any other ancient historical figure who was even moderately prolific must today be counted among everyone’s ancestors”.

13. Connecting the New World with the Old World

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Many countries around the world will have lost their records due to wars etc and although documents are vital to connect to new world with the old world, there are sometimes other ways to find your lineage. However, this can be very difficult. So think of it this way, if you're able to find a paper trail then you should probably see where it leads.

14. Europe was not the only place with powerful rulers

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If you have descendants from other areas of the world like Africa, South America, Asia or North Africa you could be related to King Tutankhamun or a number of Chinese emperors. We already know many of us could be related to Genghis Khan but there are others around the world we could be related to as well.

15. It's pretty unlikely that you aren't descended from royalty

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Each generation you go back, the number of ancestors you have doubles, so imagine going back generation to generation you would have thousands of ancestors.Add royals and other wealthy, high status members of society - it's inevitable that you're related to some of these people.

16. British royal surnames

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If you have any of these surnames in your family, then it's likely that you're related to royalty: Baskerville, Darcy, Neville, Percy, Astley, Capell, Bryon, Clifford and Herbert. They're the most common ones but be sure to check a more comprehensive list of surnames out there.

17. If you're from a country that has a long standing monarchy

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If you're from a country like the United Kingdom, Spain and Japan then your chances of being descended from royalty is fairly high compared to those who aren't. If you can find some distant family members on your family tree then this could be very helpful.

18. What records do you need to trace royal descent?

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There are certain resources out there that could help determine whether you're a direct descendant of royalty. Countries like the United Kingdom have a lot of historical records that are open to the public. Here are some of the ways you could trace your royal ancestors.

19. Census records

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This is by far the easiest way to establish whether you have a royal connection. The Census records show exactly where people were living at certain points in history - royal homes, castles and other address associated with the family you're tracing.

20. Royal household staff 1526-1924

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Findmypast shows a collection of individuals who worked in the royal household during a period that spans over 400 years. If you know or think you may have had descendants who worked closely with royals then there's a possibility you could find them through these records.

21. Britain, Knights of the Realm and Commonwealth

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Maybe your family members didn't live in the royal home, but maybe they were employed by the household? People with a strong connection to royalty would be awarded an order of chivalry so their names would appear on these records, dating all the way back to the 13th century.

22. Directories & social history records

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Noble and aristocratic families are likely to be recorded in a vast scope of directories. These collections from across the world contain everything from names and areas people lived in. These records don't always contain as much information as you would like but they can be very helpful.

23. Descendants of the illegitimate sons and daughters of Kings

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There were so many illegitimate royal offspring, more illegitimate than legitimate ones. Henry VIII famously considered his illegitimate son, Henry FitzRoy, before his first and only legitimate son, Edward VI was born. There are many of us out there who will be descended to royalty without even realising.

24. English & British Royal surnames

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Cromwell - Oliver Cromwell was the ruler of the British Isles. Howard was the Duke of Norfolk, Stanley has English Baron roots, Tudor descends from King Henry VII, Wettin comes from Queen Victoria Wettin and Windsor is Queen Elizabeth's royal family name.

25. Scottish Royal surnames

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Alpin comes from the king of Scots surname, Balliol from king John Balliol, Barclay was Chamberlain of Scotland, Bruce comes from Robert the Bruce. Then there's Canmore which comes from Malcolm of Canmore, Robertson is the surname of several Scottish kings and Stuart is the last name of the royal house of Scotland.

26. Other Royal names

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Other countries in Europe like France, Denmark, Finland and Rome have a wealth of royal last names. You will also find Greek and Dutch royal last names in an impressive list. All of which descend from kings, queens, princes, princess' and emperors. So maybe check out your family name heritage!

27. African Royalty

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Europe might have been the first place you think of to have royal names, but they definitely aren't the only continent to have a royal affair. Fouad, Mahlangu, Nefertiti, Pasha as-Mas-ud ibn Agha, Philopator and Seeiso are all names descending from royalty, in particular the ancient Egyptians.

28. Asian Royal surnames

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Bolkiah, Jimmu, Khan, Pema, Sho, Vajiralongkorn, Wangchuck, Ying, Yi and Zhang are all extremely common royal surnames in Asia. All of which descend from emperors, rulers queens, kings and descendants of the Qin dynasty. Many Asian dynasties didn't have a surname, but they did carry a family or dynasty name.

29. Island Royal surnames

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Royal families can be found ruling over multiple continents, like the King of England so you will find certain last names in the islands that are unique to the area but linked to royalty. Tupou and Kamehameha are both royal surnames from Tonga and Hawaii.

30. Royalty

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When you think of royalty, you probably think of England, however, there are kings and queens all over the world so royal last names and royalty can be found all over the world you just need to check out your heritage to find out if you have a chance of being directly descended to royalty.

31. Celebs you didn't know were royalty! Thandiwe Newton is a princess

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Not only is she a stunning, successful actress, but Newton is also a Zimbabwean princess! She's actually the daughter of a princess, which means her official title according to the culture, is also princess. Her name, which she has now asked to be spelled as Thandiwe instead of Thandie, is the traditional spelling going back to her cultural - and royal - roots. The word means 'beloved' in the language of Shona, which is the culture of people from Zimbabwe from which she hails. She wanted to change her name to pay homage to that.

32. Hilary Duff is a cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II

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Actress Hilary Duff is also related to royalty - this time, to the British royal family, and the late Queen Elizabeth II. She's actually a cousin of the late queen - a very, very distant cousin, the 18th cousin of Elizabeth II - and her royal ties were actually discovered through a genealogy study in the US. Her royal connection stems from Alexander Spotswood, who she is related to, a man who was the 10th great-grandson of the king Edward III. He lived from the 16 to 1700's and served in the British army as an officer.

33. Paris Hilton is distantly related to King Charles III

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Paris Hilton may be showbiz royalty, but did you know she actually has distant connections to the present King of England, Charles III? The American socialite and social media personality is actually something like the 20th cousin of King Charles' late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Paris is actually a descendent of King Henry II, who was born in France but was King of England through the years 1154 to 1189. His bloodline runs down through the Tudors and eventually to Queen Elizabeth II (and her son, the current king) while Paris is his descendent through her father's side of the family.

34. Rose Leslie and Kit Harrington are both related to King Charles II

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To make it a little bit stranger, in very Games of Thrones fashion, they're actually very, very distantly related... to each other. The married couple are both related to the king Charles II - not to be confused with the current King, Charles III! (We know, there are so many numbers to remember). Charles II was actually the King of Scotland, during the years 1649 to 1651, who then went on to be the King of Scotland, England and Ireland. Both Leslie and Harrington are related, Harrington through his grandmother's side, and Leslie through her mother's side.

35. Meghan Markle already had royal blood before she married Prince Harry

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Meghan Markle made a pretty big deal about not knowing anything about British royal customs or what life would be like as a royal, but you'd think, with royalty actually in her blood, her instincts would kick in! We'll let her off, though. Before she married a prince of England, the actress was actually already related to royalty - and British royalty, at that! She's actually a direct descendent of King Edward III, who ruled in the early 1300s, and her royal bloodline actually means she's distantly related to her husband... she's his 17th cousin!

36. Ralph Fiennes is related to the King of England

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British actor, and - of course - Lord Voldemort is also no stranger to a royal title or two. He's very distantly related to the current King of England, Charles III - but this is a celeb you can definitely imagine being a royal! He just has that grace and stage presence about him. And while we say they are distantly related, they're not-so-distant compared to some on this list. Fiennes is actually the eighth cousin of King Charles III, and their connection comes through James II, who was King of Scotland, England and Ireland during his reign.

37. Tilda Swinton has Scottish royal blood

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Actress Tilda Swinton actually has a direct connection to royal blood - she's the direct descendent of Robert the Bruce, who was Scottish king during his reign that lasted from 1306 to 1329. If you're a fan of the movie Braveheart - because why wouldn't you be - you'll recognize the name as being the guy who fought against Mel Gibson's William Wallace, and that's who Tilda is directly descended from. Her connections to royal blood was discovered not too long ago by researchers in Edinburgh, Scotland, who traced the actress's lineage.

38. Brooke Shields is the cousin of the late Queen of England

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The late Queen Elizabeth II definitely hasn't run out of celebrity cousins just yet! Maybe it now makes sense where there were always so many random celebs at royal events like the coronation. Actress Brooke Shields actually has connections to both French and British royalty. She's actually a descendent of King Henry IV, the king of France, who reigned before his assassination. She's then connected to the son of King Edward III, known as the 1st Duke of Lancaster, who is the ancestor that both Brooke Shields and the late queen share.

39. The Gyllenhaals are both related to the queen, too

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Acting brother and sister Jake Gyllenhaal and Maggie Gyllenhaal both have royal connections, too - and once again, its the late Queen Elizabeth II, of course! Which means they're also both distantly related to the current King of England. It's reported that they have royal connections after looking into their lineage, and tracing it back to King Edward III, who we just mentioned being Brooke Shields royal connection, too! Does that mean all these celebs are related to each other as well? It makes our head hurt just thinking about it.

40. The queen had a lot of celeb cousins - including Michael Douglas!

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And we have another surprise for you... yet another cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who is also an actor! We might as well just say that all actors are in some way shape or form related to British royalty, because it seems like it's going that way, doesn't it? Michael Douglas is also related to the current King of England, Charles III, and his late mother Queen Elizabeth II through a particular royal in history... you guessed it, it's Edward II again! Apparently that guy kept very busy with producing acting descendants.

41. Ellen DeGeneres is related to the late queen and Kate Middleton

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Controversial talk show host Ellen DeGeneres also has some British royal blood in her veins. She's yet another cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II, but this time she's twice removed and not a direct cousin. But you probably won't be surprised which man in history is responsible for it... King Edward III! She's not only 19th cousin (twice removed) of the late Queen, but she's actually also related to the Duchess of Cambridge herself, Kate Middleton. Ellen is Kate's 15th cousin, and their connection comes through Sir Thomas Fairfax.

42. Benedict Cumberbatch actually played a royal he's related to

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If there's one British actor you wouldn't be surprised is descended from royalty, it's Benedict Cumberbatch. We're surprised he isn't a 'sir' by this point. And as he dominates the theater stage with his Shakespeare performances, as well as our movie screens, it's no surprise he's played King Richard III at some point in his career, based on one of Shakespeare's most famous works. In real life, Benedict is actually related to King Richard, and according to genealogists, he's actually the king's 16th cousin, twice removed!

43. Laura Dern is related to a past King of England

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She may be directly related to a British king of the past, but that doesn't mean she's not related to the current king! Actress Laura Dern also has ties to the current King Charles III through his mother, because Dern is also the 19th cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II, three times removed. And you may not be surprised about the king she's related too as well... Edward III, of course! He was also known as Edward of Windsor during his reign, which lasted from 1327 to 1377. He was also responsible for creating the Duchy of Cornwall.

44. Beyoncé: more than Queen Bey

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We may all know Beyoncé as Queen Bey, but you might have thought that was just a nickname based on her domination of the music charts - we never thought she was actually related to royalty... until now! Beyoncé is actually the twenty fifth cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II, once removed, which also makes her a distant relation of the current king of England. Based on genealogical research, her connection comes from King Henry II, who is the common ancestor she shares with the late queen: Henry II was the twenty fourth great grandfather of Elizabeth II.

45. Johnny Depp has a possible connection with the royal family

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This one isn't for certain, but there has been extensive research by professional genealogists that suggest the actor could, in fact, have connections to the British royal family. We wouldn't be surprised based on how many distant cousins are on this list! Why not another? If it had to be anyone, let it be Johnny Depp! Apparently it would take going back 500 years to find the link between Depp and any royal connection, but 500 years is still something at least! It's possible that Johnny may be the twentieth cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

46. Hugh Grant has both British and American connections

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British actor Hugh Grant could easily fit into the royal family based on his posher than posh voice and his handsome charisma. You could definitely see him hanging around with Prince William (and probably already has based on the recent celeb guests to the coronation). The actor actually has a fair few well known names in his ancestry. Not only is he found to be the ninth cousin, once removed, of the late Queen Elizabeth II, but he also has connections to famous Americans of history: Alexander Hamilton, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

47. Madonna and ex-husband Guy Ritchie both have royal relatives

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Not only do legendary singer Madonna and director Guy Ritchie have their own separate royal connections, they were also paired up as a married couple, meaning they've passed all of that onto their children together! Madonna is actually the ninth cousin (once removed) of the now-queen of England, Camilla Parker Bowles, who also carries the title Duchess of Cornwall. Madonna's ex-husband, Guy, is actually the sixth cousin of Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, which also explains why he had an invitation to attend her wedding to Prince William!

48. The Fanning sisters are descendants of a king

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Both Elle and Dakota Fanning have been working hard in the acting world, but the sisters also have another achievement to their name (if you can call it that): royal connections! Can you guess which king they're both descended from? It's a name you're probably sick of hearing by now... they're actually both descendants of King Edward III of England. But it doesn't end there! They're also related to Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, and the sisters are twenty first cousins of the Duchess of Cambridge. Elle herself has played a princess on screen.

49. Celine Dion is not just music royalty

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Iconic songstress who gave us My Heart Will Go On, Celine Dion, is also related to royalty. But it's not the late Queen Elizabeth II or King Edward III she's descended from... she actually has links to the current Queen Consort of England, Camilla Parker Bowles. Celine Dion is actually the ninth cousin of Camilla, once removed. Not only that, she's actually related to another name on this list... Madonna! Celine and Madonna are something like once or twice removed cousins, and with them both having royal connections separately, there's that!

50. Angelina Jolie and ex Brad Pitt

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Both Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have royal connections separately, and in their famous - or maybe infamous now - marriage, they paired up those royal connections! They both are distant relations of the British royal family, with Pitt being a 25th cousin, twice removed, of the late Queen Elizabeth II, while Angelina Jolie is a 26th cousin of the late queen through her connection to King Philip II of France. That makes Pitt slightly more of a royal than his ex-wife, but we're sure they didn't argue about it over the dinner table!