Entertainment
Turns out, King Charles is related to Vlad the Impaler, says Dracula actor Luke Evans-Pierra Willix-Entertainment – Metro
Who would’ve thought?
Luke Evans says King Charles told him about a connection to Dracula (Picture: Reuters/REX/Getty)
The Royals have an extensive family tree, but it turns out they’re also related to the real-life royal who inspired the character of Dracula.
This rather strange revelation was shared by actor Luke Evans, who said that it was King Charles himself who told him the unusual fact.
After working on the 2014 film Dracula Untold, Luke met the monarch, who told him that he had traced his ancestry back to blood-thirsty Romanian ruler Vlad the Impaler, also known as Vlad Dracula.
It’s said Vlad was the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s fictional vampire.
Sharing the encounter on this weekend’s episode of The Jonathan Ross Show, Luke relayed the unusual chat.
‘I remember the first time I spoke to Charles. I was super nervous,’ he began.
Luke shares the story on The Jonathan Ross Show this weekend (Picture: Brian J Ritchie/Hotsauce/Shutterstock)
‘He came up to me and said, “What are you working on?” and I said, “I’ve just finished a movie about Vlad, who turns into Dracula.” And he went “Funnily enough, I’m related to Vlad Tepes”.
‘I thought he was joking, but went through his lineage to Vlad.’
In the movie, Luke played 15th century Romanian ruler Vlad III, with Dracula being his monstrous alter-ego.
Luke starred in the 2014 film Dracula Untold (Picture: Supplied)
The real Vlad ruled the region of Wallachia in what is now Romania and was said to have been a fearsome ruler who killed thousands and executed many of his enemies using impalement which earned him the gruesome nickname.
Bram Stoker’s book Dracula was published in 1897 and while he never confirmed it, many believe he used the Vlad mythology to help create his most famous character.
It’s believed that King Charles is Vlad’s great grandson 16 times removed through King George V’s consort Queen Mary.
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Since discovering the historical link, Charles has visited the region numerous times, bought property in Transylvania and even carried out charity work there through his Prince of Wales Foundation.
It appears he might also be looking forward to the next portrayal of his ancestor on screen, with Nicolas Cage starring as Dracula in the comedy-horror Renfield alongside Nicholas Hoult, set to be released next year.
The Jonathan Ross Show airs on Saturday at 10.10pm on ITV.
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