The Harry Potter Actor Who Is Distantly Related To The Royal Family

The British royal family's influence spreads far and wide, not only because it spearheaded the largest empire in history, but also through its descendants. It can be seen particularly among Hollywood's top tier, with Hilary Duff as the best example. A 2012 genealogy study showed that the "Lizzy McGuire" alum is related to Alexander Spotswood, a British army officer who was appointed governor of Colonial Virginia in the early 18th century, CBS News reported. Spotswood happens to be an ancestor of the late Queen Elizabeth II and, naturally, the current monarch, King Charles III.

Spotswood is the 10th great-grandson of King Edward III, who was Charles' 18th great-grandfather. That means Duff is Elizabeth's 18th cousin, making her the American most closely related to the British royals, the study concluded. Duff is closely followed by Brooke Shields, who is related to the king through Henry II. That's pretty impressive, considering a whole ocean and centuries of independent history separate the U.S. and Britain at this point.

If we cross back into England, those relations become even tighter. On the "Harry Potter" set alone, a few famous faces can trace their lineage back to the royal family. Helena Bonham Carter, who played Bellatrix Lestrange, is related to Catherine, Princess of Wales, according to Geni. Robert Pattinson, who brought Cedric Diggory to the big screen, can also trace his lineage to Charles back through the Pickering family, Ancestry suggested. But there's another actor who's more closely related to the king. 

Lord Voldemort might have been a half-blood, but the man who immortalized the "Harry Potter" villain has a lot of blue running through his veins. Ralph Fiennes' full last name is Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, which doesn't sound utterly noble just for show. Fiennes is an eighth cousin of the king himself, according to the Financial Times. The outlet offers no explanation for the relationship, but it's generally accepted Fiennes and King Charles III's kinship traces back to James II, who was King of Scots in the mid-15th century, the Daily Star noted.

According to the family tree mapped by FamousKin.com, Fiennes is a direct descendant of the king of Scotland through one of his seven children, Mary Stewart — of the famous House of Stewart — and her second husband, James Hamilton. From there, Fiennes' ancestors branched out, collecting a host of noble titles along the way. Fiennes got his intricate last name from Frederick Twisleton, who added the other names after becoming Baron Saye and Sele in the mid-1800s.

Their link isn't exactly close, considering we're talking centuries here. But while Charles' Christmas card list may not include Fiennes, the king seems to be a fan. In 2019, Charles stopped by Pinewood Studios to check out the "Bond 25" stars in action. Charles arrived right in time to catch Fiennes and Daniel Craig shooting their confrontation scene. According to The Standard, Fiennes cracked Charles up. Photographic evidence suggests the opposite is also true, as seen above.

Ralph Fiennes isn't the only actor to star in the "Harry Potter" franchise who counts King Charles III among his cousins. In "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," Tom Riddle, the young Lord Voldemort, was portrayed by Ralph Fiennes' own blood. Hero Fiennes Tiffin is Ralph's nephew, son of his sister Martha Fiennes. Given Fiennes Tiffin is as much a member of the Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes clan as his uncle, he shares the same lineage linking him to the royal family.

Clearly, it's not just nobility that's been passed down from generation to generation. Talent and a penchant for the arts also seem to run in the Fiennes' blood. And Harry Potter fans actually have Fiennes Tiffin — and particularly his mother — to thank for convincing Ralph to accept the role of Lord Voldemort. The "Schindler's List" actor initially had no interest in starring in a children's movie. The Oscar nominee wasn't up to date on the cultural impact of the "Harry Potter" books. "I wasn't that aware when it was first proposed to me," he told GQ in 2019.

Thankfully, Martha, whose boys were children at the time, talked some sense into him. "It was only when my sister [...] said, 'Don't you realize what they're asking you to do? It's extraordinary,'" Ralph recalled. Fiennes Tiffin wasn't chosen to play Riddle because of Ralph, though. He had "the corner and the dark moods and odd spirit of the character," director David Yates said, according to Forbes.