You might know them as Hollywood royalty, but in reality, some of your favorite A-list stars actually have royal blood running through their veins. These celebrities who are surprisingly related to royals are direct descendants or cousins of royalty. Their bloodlines turn out to be quite interesting, and some of them are even related to the late Queen Elizabeth II!
If you’re curious about which of your favorite stars is related to the royal family, this post is for you. Here are 12 celebrities who are surprisingly related to royals.
1. Uma Thurman
Source: © Getty Images
Uma Thurman and the Queen’s shared relative is King Edward I, who ruled from 1272-1307. This made Thurman becomes the Queen’s 21st cousin, once removed.
2. Jake Gyllenhaal
Source: © Getty Images
Jake Gyllenhaal is Queen Elizabeth II’s 19th cousin. His ancestor is Edward III, England’s ruler from 1327-1377.
3. Richard Gere
Source: © Getty Images
Richard Gere and the Queen are also related to each other. The Hollywood famous actor is the Queen’s 22nd cousin, twice removed. Their shared ancestor is King Edward I.
4. Hugh Grant
Source: © Getty Images
Hugh Grant’s heritage can be traced back to both King Henry VII of England and King James IV of Scotland. That means he is a close relative of the Royal family, and the Queen’s 9th cousin, once removed.
5. Dakota & Elle Fanning
Source: © Getty Images
Elle played Princess Aurora in Disney’s movie adaptation of Sleeping Beauty. In real life, she is also a member of the royal bloodline. She and her sister Dakota Fanning are the 22nd great-granddaughters of King Edward III. They are also Kate Middleton’s 21st cousins as well.
6. Paris Hilton
Source: © Getty Images
Paris Hilton is a member of the royalties through King Henry II, who she is related to on her father’s side. The socialite is Queen Elizabeth’s 20th cousin in the royal family tree. She is also related to Marilyn Monroe, who is a very famous real-life Hollywood royalty.
7. Thandiwe Newton
Source: © Getty Images
Thandiwe Newton hasn’t played any
Disney princesses yet, but she is a princess in real life. Her mother, Nyasha, is the tribal leader of the Shona ethnic group native to Southern Africa and mainly Zimbabwe. That makes Newton a princess!
8. Ellen DeGeneres
Source: © Getty Images
Ellen and
Kate Middleton are cousins. They are related through a man named Sir Thomas Fairfax and his wife, Agnes Gascoigne. Thomas is an English politician, general, and commander-in-chief during the English Civil War.
9. Glenn Close
Source: © Getty Images
Glenn and Queen Elizabeth shared the same ancestor through King John. The actress is Queen Elizabeth’s 24th cousin, once removed.
10. Sigourney Weaver
Source: © Getty Images
Sigourney Weaver and the Queen are related through King Henry I, but she was also related to at least two of Henry VIII’s wives. On top of that, she also shared an ancestor with Princess Diana. So many royal relatives!
11. Bill Hader
Source: © Getty Images
Bill Hader discovered a pretty surprising fact about his family tree in his episode of PBS’ Find Your Roots. Turns out he is a direct descendant of King Edward I of England and the Roman Emperor Charlemagne!
12. Alison Janney
Source: © Getty Images
Alison Janney’s ancestry can be traced back to England. She and the Queen shared one common ancestor: Edward I. This makes Janney the Queen’s 22nd cousin once removed.
Those are 12 celebrities who are surprisingly related to royals. If you want to know more crazy connections between Hollywood's most famous celebrities, then check out our previous post
here.