Breaking Bad actor, Bob Odenkirk, finds out he is related to King Charles, here’s how

Some people enjoy researching their family tree, this allows them to reconnect with their roots and learn more about their family’s history. There are many websites that can help you with your search, but for celebrities, there are TV shows.

Indeed, in the UK, celebrities can take part in Who Do You Think You Are? to learn about their ancestry. For US celebrities, they can take part in Finding Your Roots, which is what Breaking Bad star Bob Odenkirk did.

Bob Odenkirk played Saul Goodman in the hit series, Breaking Bad as well as the spin-off series, Better Call Saul.

So how is the Breaking Bad actor related to King Charles, and why not have a look at other celebrities that are related to the Royal Family?

Bob Odenkirk is a distant cousin to King Charles

Bob Odenkirk took part in an episode of Finding Your Roots, hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr, who looked into 5 generations of Odenkirk’s family tree, as per Daily Mail.

As they were going through the actor’s family tree, they discovered that Bob Odenkirk’s 5th great-grandfather was Friedrich Carl Steinholz, born in Plön, Germany in 1755.

What makes this discovery interesting is the fact that Friedrich’s mother conceived him out of wedlock with the Duke of Plön, who was related to the royal families of Europe through intermarriage.

How does this connect Bob Odenkirk to King Charles? As reported by Daily Mail, the show revealed that Bob is 11th cousins of King Charles. Safe to say the two are very distantly related and a 'family reunion' is unlikely.

Which other celebrities have family links to the Royal Family?

Several modern-day celebrities have distant connections with the Royal Family and some of them may surprise you!

First off, Madonna is distantly related to Queen Camilla! Indeed, as per BBC, Madonna and Queen Camilla are both descendants of the same French carpenter, Zacharie Cloutier, making Madonna and Camilla 10th cousins.

Another fun celebrity who is linked to the Royal Family is Benedict Cumberbatch. In fact, he played his distant relative on TV. As per BBC, Benedict Cumberbatch is very distantly related to Richard III, whom Cumberbatch played in the BBC's Hollow Crown series. The Sherlock Holmes actor is Richard III's second cousin 16 times removed.

Several celebrities are distantly related to the late Queen Elizabeth II. Actress Angelina Jolie is Queen Elizabeth’s 26th cousin, as per BBC. Their connection is through Jolie’s mother, Marcheline Bertrand. The Bertrand family can be traced back to the 12th century and is connected to the French King Phillip II.

The iconic pop artist, Beyonce is also related to Queen Elizabeth II. As per the ancestry site Geni, Beyonce and Queen Elizabeth are 25th cousins once removed. The ancestry site described their relation as:

Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom is Beyoncé's stepfather's wife's first cousin's mother's ex-husband's ex-wife's first cousin's wife's aunt's husband's father's wife's nephew's wife.

Finally, Hugh Grant is also a distant relative of Queen Elizabeth II. As per BBC, Hugh and Queen Elizabeth are 9th cousins once removed. Hugh Grant's ancestry can be traced all the way back to King Henry VII of England. That isn’t Hugh Grant’s only connection to royalty, he is also a descendant of King James IV of Scotland.

Read more:

⋙ Queen Camilla is related to these famous singers and actors

⋙ Who is Achi Miller? The royal related to King Charles who is in Jennifer Lawrence's new movie

⋙ King Charles rumoured to be related to notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper

Sources used:

Daily Mail: ‘Breaking Bad star discovers he's related to King Charles but insists he 'doesn't believe in monarchs and leaders'

BBC: ‘10 modern-day celebrities who are related to royals’