On a recent episode of the TV genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are? Josh Widdicombe discovered he was a descendant of Edward I, who died more than 700 years ago.
But he hasn’t been the only example. Soap star Danny Dyer found on the BBC family history show he was related to Edward III, Alexander Armstrong was descended from William the Conqueror and the rower Sir Matthew Pinsent was another relative of Edward I.
So what’s going on? Are the genes that put kings on thrones now producing a celebrity aristocracy? Or are these just remarkable and unusual, needle-in-a-haystack, coincidences?
What this really shows, according to genealogy experts, is that if you look back far enough a surprisingly high number of people will find a royal ancestor.
You can read a lot more in an article by Sean Coughlan published in the BBC News web site at: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59041055.