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Topics: Celebrity, US News, UK News, Royal Family, King Charles III, Entertainment
Rhianna Benson
Topics: Celebrity, US News, UK News, Royal Family, King Charles III, Entertainment
She's an actress, a singer, an author, a businesswoman and a full-time mother-of-four, but apparently, Hilary Duff can also add 'Royal Family member' to her impressive roster of roles.
That’s right - for years now, the Lizzie McGuire star has been linked to the monarchy through several of her distant ancestors.
According to a previous report by HELLO!, Duff is actually the most closely related American celebrity to the British Royal Family.
She has long been rumoured to be a relative of the late Queen Elizabeth II, which would, in turn, imply she shares some of the same blood as the UK’s current ruler, Charles III.
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Their mutual family history reportedly dates all the way back to the 14th century - the rule of King Edward III, to be exact.
He ruled for fifty years from 1327 until his death in 1377, and is celebrated amongst historians for restoring the Kingdom of England into a great global power following the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II.
Not only did he reinstate the nation’s military prowess and survive the Black Death, but he also developed formal legislation and revolutionised the running of English Parliament.
So, it’s safe to say that King Edward III is broadly considered a pretty cool guy.
But, apparently, he’s not the only link between Duff and the Institution.
The Cinderella Story bombshell is also said to be a descendant of Robert the Bruce, the former King of Scots, who ruled between 1306 and his death 17 years later.
Renowned for his leading role in the First War of Scottish Independence against England, he spent his life fighting to restore his home country to an autonomous yet powerful nation, and is still viewed by many to this day as a national hero.
Duff first caught wind of the latter relation during a 2018 episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, for which ancestry experts traced down her father’s history, finding her 21-times great-grandfather was Robert himself.
Genealogist Nick Barratt told Duff on the show: "If this was the 13th century, you would be a princess. I feel I should bow!"
"You're a royal. And not only that, Robert the Bruce, for me, is the superhero of the medieval kings."
The singer gushed in response: "Crazy to think I've gone my whole life never hearing of this man, and now I'm finding out that he's my 21-times great-grandfather and also such a huge, important part of history and such a brave man."
Apparently, these royal connections would make Duff and the late Queen 18th cousins, and 19th with her son, King Charles.
The actress and singer has only addressed this speculation a number of times, however, including when it was brought up this week by radio presenter Jordan North.
North welcomed the US star to chat at the Tower of London for the latest instalment of Capital FM’s podcast, claiming that not many stars had previously been granted access to the historical landmark’s on-site pub, given that it’s primarily reserved for the use of official beefeaters and their families.
He added, however, that he’d make an exception for Duff, because she’s ‘actually related to King Charles’.
Responding, the Cheaper By The Dozen star smiled: "This is right."