11 celebrities you had no idea were related to the royal family
Many celebrities are often treated like royalty by their fans, but a select few are actually related to real royalty.
Yes, if you are one of the lucky few who have any of these particular surnames, then it means you could have a bit of royal blood coursing through your veins.
However, you wouldn't be the only one, as some pop stars and actors also share some surprising connections to the British royal family.
It turns out that some of Hollywood's biggest A-listers share common ancestors with modern royals like King Charles III, the late Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Camilla, Diana, Princess of Wales, and Kate Middleton.
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However, others have a more distant connection to historical figures, like Richard III, Edward I, and Robert the Bruce.
Here, we take a deep dive into the royals' celebrity relations...
Which celebrities are related to the royal family?
Beyoncé
It seems rather fitting that Queen Bey is actually related to a real-life queen.
The 'Single Ladies' hitmaker is the 25th cousin once removed of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The pair are connected via their shared ancestor, Henry II, who ruled in the 12th century.
But if you want to get more specific, ancestry site Geni laid it down: "Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, is Beyoncé's stepfather's wife's first cousin's mother's ex-husband's ex-wife's first cousin's wife's aunt's husband's father's wife's nephew's wife."
Got it.
Madonna
Similarly branded the 'Queen of Pop', it only seems right that Madonna is related to a member of the royal family.
The iconic singer and Queen Camilla are ninth cousins once removed and are both descendants of Zacharie Cloutier, a founding figure in the Quebec colony in the 17th century.
Zacharie, a French-Canadian, along with his wife Xainte Dupont, has thousands of descendants in existence today, according to Hello! Magazine.
But Camilla isn't the only important person that Madonna shares a familial link with, as the 'Like A Virgin' singer is also related to Pope Leo XIV.
Celine Dion
If it wasn't enough to be related to Madonna, Queen Camilla also shares a family connection to Celine Dion.
The Queen and the My Heart Will Go On star are both relatives of Jean Guyon, making the duo distant cousins.
Some sources have claimed to know Celine and Camilla's exact relation, with Nine Honey noting that they are ninth cousins once removed.
Camilla's family tree is nothing short of impressive!
Ralph Fiennes
Fiennes has portrayed some kingly roles in his storied career, though it turns out that he is the eighth cousin of King Charles through King James of Scotland.
In the 1400s, King James took over the Scottish throne at the age of six.
Johnny Depp
Pirates of the Caribbean actor Johnny dived into his family tree during an episode of Who Do You Think You Are? back in 2011.
The star's lineage was traced back over 500 years by a genealogist, who discovered he is related to Queen Elizabeth II as the duo share an ancestor, King Edward III, who was on the throne during the Medieval period.
Johnny and the late Queen are 20th cousins and the duo reportedly briefly met on the set of Sleepy Hollow in the 1990s.
Ellen DeGeneres
The Princess of Wales shares an unexpected connection to American TV host Ellen DeGeneres, but the duo have never crossed paths.
Kate and Ellen are 15th cousins, thanks to their ancestor Sir Thomas Fairfax, who was an army officer during the English Civil War, and his wife Ange Gascoigne.
The fun fact was discovered by Ellen back in 2011, shortly before Kate married Prince William. However, she failed to land an invite to the star-studded nuptials.
Ellen has shared her hopes of connecting with her distant cousin, previously telling the Daily Mail: "Everyone thinks I'm joking, but I'm not. So, if we're related, we should start hanging out together."
Guy Ritchie
Along with Ellen, the Princess of Wales is also cousins with Guy Ritchie, director of films such as The Gentlemen and ex-husband of pop icon Madonna.
Kate and Guy are sixth cousins and share an ancestor in David Martineau, a surgeon in the 18th century hailing from Norwich.
Guy is pals with his distant royal relative and was invited to the Prince and Princess of Wales' wedding in 2011.
Benedict Cumberbatch
In The Hollow Crown, Benedict portrayed King Richard III and it's since been revealed that the actor is actually related to him.
Benedict is the second cousin 16 times removed of Richard, who was the last monarch to die in battle and the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty.
In 2015, Benedict was invited to read a poem at King Richard's reburial ceremony, which was held at Leicester Cathedral.
Speaking on Channel 4 after the ceremony, he said: "It's a very surreal experience and I'm still taking it in to be honest. I've never been to an internment before so I have nothing to compare it to.
"It's an extraordinary thing to witness, history through death brought back to life in order to be placed back to death again."
The star's royal relations don't stop there, as reports have previously claimed he also has connections to Queen Elizabeth II and Lady Jane Grey.
Kit Harington
Game of Thrones star Kit shares a very distant connection to King Charles III.
Kit's paternal eight-times-great-grandfather was King Charles II of England, therefore he and the King share an ancestor in King Charles I, who was Charles II's grandfather.
In simple terms, Kit and King Charles III are 9th or 10th cousins.
Hilary Duff
Lizzy McGuire favourite Hilary is very closely linked to Queen Elizabeth II.
The American star shares an ancestor in King Edward III with the late monarch, and is also descended from Robert the Bruce, the King of Scotland in the early 14th century.
Hilary and Elizabeth II are 18th cousins and she's also distantly related to Johnny Depp.
Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal
Siblings Jake and Maggie are 19th cousins of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The famous duo, descended from a Swedish noble family, share an ancestor in King Edward III of England with the late Queen.
Thanks to this royal connection, Jake and Maggie are actually distantly related to both Hilary Duff and Johnny Depp. A star-studded family tree!
Topics: Royal Family, Explained, Celebrity, Beyonce
Danni King