7 Celebrities You Never Knew Were Related to Princess Kate and Prince William

The British royal family has connections that stretch back hundreds of years, and thanks to genealogy research, many surprising family links have been uncovered. While these relationships are incredibly distant, they show how royal bloodlines have spread across continents for generations. From Hollywood stars to famous writers and music icons, several well-known personalities share ancestors with Princess Kate or Prince William. These connections may not make them part of the royal family today, but they certainly make for fascinating history. Here are five celebrities who are secretly related to the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Hollywood sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning have an unexpected royal connection. Genealogy experts have traced their family tree back to King Edward III, who ruled England from 1327 to 1377. > The actresses are believed to be his 22nd great-granddaughters of the late King. Interestingly, Kate also descends from King Edward III through her father's family, making the Fanning sisters and the Princess very distant cousins. King Edward III is one of the most common royal ancestors for many people with British ancestry, so it is not unusual for famous figures to be linked to him.

American television host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres is reportedly the future Queen's 15th cousin. Their shared ancestor is said to be Sir Thomas Fairfax, a prominent military leader during the English Civil War in the 1600s. DeGeneres has even joked about her royal connection on her television show in the past. However, being 15th cousins means the relationship is extremely distant.

Apparently Queen Bey has real royal blood! Music superstar Beyoncé also has a surprising royal connection. Genealogists have found that she is the 25th cousin, once removed, of the late Queen Elizabeth II through a shared ancestor, King Henry II of England. Since the late Queen was Prince William's grandmother, this also makes Beyoncé a very distant cousin of the Prince.

Academy Award-winning actress Angelina Jolie is another Hollywood star with distant royal ancestry. Through her mother's French noble family, she is believed to be the 26th cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. This means she also shares a very distant family connection with William. On the other hand, her ex-husband, Brad Pitt, has also been linked to British royalty through separate genealogy research, with reports suggesting distant ties to royal bloodlines as well.

Last on the list is a literary celebrity, English novelist Jane Austen, who also shares distant family roots with Kate. Although they lived centuries apart, both women are connected through this shared ancestor. Their connection is believed to come through Henry Percy, the 2nd Earl of Northumberland, who was an influential English nobleman from the 15th century.