Millions of people alive today are descended from the royal family - here's how to tell if you're one of them

Millions of people alive today are descended from the royal family - here's how to tell if you're one of them

Are you descended from royalty? Here's how to tell

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Published: July 1, 2025 at 10:17 am

Can you call King Charles III your cousin? On Who Do You Think You Are?, celebrities including Danny Dyer and Will Young have discovered that they’re descended from royalty. If you think you might have royal ancestry too, here’s what you need to know…

  • Being descended from royalty is surprisingly common, particularly going back to medieval royalty.
  • For example, some experts believe that almost everyone alive with British ancestry is descended from Edward III.
  • Your most likely connection to royalty is being distantly descended from the illegitimate child of a king.
  • To find royal ancestry, look for family connections to the nobility, and try to trace your family tree back to at least the 17th century.
  • There are many resources online to help you understand connections to the nobility and see if you have a royal ancestor.

Find out more about how to trace your royal ancestry with our guide

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