Did you know there’s a surprising number of our favorite celebrities actually have direct connections to monarchies through their bloodline? Ahead, 8 celebs who have royal ancestors in their family and are all-around fabulously famous to boot (some people really have it all, huh). It’ll give new meaning to the next time you say, “Yas, kween!”
1. Hillary Duff and Queen Elizabeth II
Hilary Duff, besides being the original Disney princess, is said to be the most closely related American celebrity to the Queen herself. The Lizzie McGuire star is her majesty’s 18th cousin, through Alexander Spotswood, who was the 10th great-grandson of Edward III. This is what dreams are made of, literally.
2. Beyoncé and Queen Elizabeth II
We always knew Beyoncé was royalty, but CBS News confirmed it: Queen Bey is the 25th cousin, once removed, of Queen Elizabeth II. Her cultural title of ‘Queen Bey’ makes complete sense now.
3. Ellen DeGeneres and Kate Middleton
Comedian, talk-show host and philanthropist, Ellen DeGeneres, happens to be the 15th cousin of Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge. Apparently, she is also a direct descendent from King Edward III who reigned in 1327.
DeGeneres even claimed her royal blood as a way to bond with one of the smallest royals, Prince George. In an interview, Ellen even joked about it, saying: “I saw that picture of Prince George in his robe with President Obama and I’m like, ‘I have a clothing line [ED by Ellen]; I can give him clothes; I can make a special robe for him!'”
4. Angelina Jolie and Marie of France, King Phillip II & Queen Elizabeth II
Jolie is descended from French royalty through her mother, Marie Betrand. We can trace her lineage all the way back to the 12th century French king, Phillip II, the son of Louis VII. That makes Jolie also related to Marie of France, an influential French royal of the time and Phillip’s half-sister. Plus, Jolie and Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II are 26th cousins. She’s pretty buddy-buddy with the Windsors now, too.
5. Dakota & Elle Fanning and King Edward III
Elle Fanning may have played Princess Aurora in Maleficent, but she and older sister, Dakota are actual princesses (kinda). They’re the 22nd great-granddaughters of King Edward III, who ruled England from 1327 to 1377. They’re also the 21st cousins of the Duchess of Cambridge, as Middleton’s mother, Carole Goldsmith, is a distant granddaughter of King Edward III.
6. Madonna and Camilla Parker-Bowes
According to the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston, the pop star is descended from French-Canadian Madeleine Ernard and her carpenter husband Zacharie Cloutier (1617-1708), which makes her a ninth cousin (once removed) of the Duchess of of Cornwall, Camilla Parker Bowles. They’ve got another famous relative on this list too.
7. Celine Dion and Camilla Parker-Bowes
Surprise, surprise. Like Madonna, Dion is also a ninth cousin once removed of Camilla Parker Bowles, making Dion and Madonna 10th cousins twice removed through Jean Guyon, one of Quebec’s earliest settlers, and 10th cousins once removed through another ancestor, Zacharie Cloutier.
8. Johnny Depp and Queen Elizabeth II
The actor most famously known as Jack Sparrow is yet another cousin of the Queen. Depp is a 20th cousin of Queen Elizabeth through Edward III.
