Are you related to royalty? Here's how to find out if there's a royal connection in your family tree

5-6 minute read

By The Findmypast Team | February 2, 2024

Have you ever wondered if you're descended from the British royal family? Findmypast has the records and the tools that you need to find out.

Does your surname have a noble air about it? Perhaps there's family lore passed down generations that has led you to wonder whether you may be related to royalty or nobility. Perhaps scurrilous rumours of an illegitimate child born out of wedlock in a courtly scandal need proving, or the story of a Lord stripped of his title and land following a failed coup d'etat piques your interest... At one time or another, many of us have wished that we'd be next in the line of succession.

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What are the chances of having royalty in your ancestry? Are the family stories anything more than hand-me-down tall tales? Now, you may not be the direct relative of Prince William or Prince Harry, but that doesn't mean that there's not a surprising connection to be found. You just need to make the discoveries to prove it. With millions of genealogy records and a handy family tree builder, Findmypast can help.

Could your name connect you to royalty?

Like kings and queens, surname origins and family history research go hand-in-hand. But how much could your name reveal about the potential of having a royal link in your family tree? Quite a bit, if these famous faces are anything to go by.

Boris Johnson uncovered a family link to King George II on Who Do You Think You Are?. As the 154th most common name in the world, there’s every chance there could be a Johnson on your family tree. If there is, get digging for those royal roots.

Boris Johnson is related to another former British Prime Minister, David Cameron, through the same illegitimate lines to George II. This makes them distant cousins and puts the Cameron surname in contention for having regal heritage.

Born Diana Spencer, Princess Diana had links to the monarchy long before she married into the British Royal Family. She is descended from Henry Fitzroy and Charles Lennox, two of King Charles II's illegitimate children. Are there Spencer branches on your family tree that could unlock a royal chapter of your family story?

Cockney geezer Danny Dyer unearthed his royal roots during an infamous episode of Who Do You Think You Are? Much to the actor’s amazement, he’s a direct descendant of King Edward III. If this doesn’t prove that everyone could have a royal hiding in their heritage, we don’t know what will.

Meghan Markle, Winston Churchill and Hilary Duff are among a host of well-known names with connections to Robert the Bruce, who reigned as King of Scotland in the 1300s. If any of their surnames show up on your family tree, it’s worth some further investigation to see if you can discover royal bloodlines.

To delve even deeper into royal genealogy, why not explore King Charles III's family tree for yourself? From the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Edward, the Duke of Wessex to Prince Harry and Prince George of Wales, there are so many fascinating figures and stories to discover.

Regal lineage: how common is it to be descended from royalty?

With at least 40 bastards born within the royal family between the 11th and 15th centuries, Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine has suggested that there are over four million descendants of Edward III alive today, with that article going on to state that some experts believe that 'practically everyone' with British ancestry could be descended from royalty.

If you're one of the estimated 13% of Americans with British ancestry, your chances of finding a royal link are actually better than you might think.

Now that we've established the possibility of being a descendant of a monarch, how do you go about proving your royal lineage with genealogical research?

The records you need to trace royal descent

Here are a few resources to explore that could determine whether you should be marching to the palace and demanding your set of keys. Or, failing that, if your ancestors simply had friends in high places.

Census records

By far the easiest way to establish a royal connection is by taking a look at the people living at a certain address at a certain point in history. And we're not just talking Windsor Castle, think of royal country homes, castles or other addresses associated with the family you're tracing.

Windsor Castle in the 1921 Census of England & Wales. View the full record.

A quick search can tell you the place of residence of royalty and nobility through the years. Once you've identified the address of the palace, castle or stately home you're interested in, simply search by address in the census and see if you recognise a familiar name in the list of inhabitants.

Don't forget, house names, streets and county borders can change over the years. Check maps from the relevant period to ensure that you're searching for the right name, and always keep your search terms broad, remembering to use wildcards where appropriate.

Royal Household Staff 1526-1924

Findmypast is home to this exclusive collection of individuals who worked for the royal household during a period that spans almost 400 years. If there are rumours of your ancestors having trod the royal boards, there's every possibility they may have worked as a member of staff.

A snippet from the Royal Household Index. View the full record.

This incredible resource includes digitised images and indexes from the records held at the Royal Archives. Often, the images contain further information, including your ancestor's signature and, if relevant, the reason their employment came to an end. You may be able to find your ancestors' record by simply searching for their first name and surname within this record set.

Reigning monarchs would typically employ in excess of 1,000 people, providing plenty of opportunities for you to discover an ancestor or relative who served the court in some way. In these records, you'll find everything from "Chocolate Maker to the Queen" to "Keeper of the Lions in the Tower" to the unfortunately intimate yet highly esteemed role of "Groom of the Stool".

Britain, Knights of the Realm and Commonwealth

So, maybe your family didn't live in the royal home, and maybe they weren't employed by the household. But the search isn't over yet. Many people with a strong connection to royals would have been awarded an order of chivalry.

Lewis Hamilton's 2021 knighthood. View the full record.

This rather esteemed collection contains the records of thousands of people, from the 13th century to the present day and it's updated each year as new awards are announced. You'll find kings' most trusted confidantes, knights rewarded for their valour in battle and also more modern figures, like the actor Laurence Olivier and former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a Baron and Baroness respectively.

Directories & social history records

Noble and aristocratic families are likely to be recorded in the vast scope of directories and social histories available on Findmypast. This collection from across the world contains everything from highly-detailed histories of certain names and areas to more general directories of who lived where and when.

While less comprehensive than census records, these records often contain much more detailed information on the people contained in them, including a fantastic collection of family histories & directories that trace the lineages of influential society members.

More royal resources

Even if you can't claim a connection to them, if you're a fan of the British Royal Family, you've come to the right place. From ancestry discoveries to the history of some of the United Kingdom's most loved palaces, we've compiled a right royal collection of throwbacks and modern gems to keep you enthralled. Dive straight in below.