FACT : King Charles III is a descendant of Dracula and owns properties in Transylvania
The former Prince of Wales is the heir to Vlad the Impaler's bloodline
The Royal Family has links to several countries across Europe, including Romania, and it turns out that King Charles is the descendant of the real-life Dracula. Formerly known as Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Charles III actually owns several properties in Transylvania, is the heir to Vlad the Impaler's bloodline.
The ruthless prince, also known as Vlad Tepes and Vlad III Dracula, is known for his cruelty towards his enemies and impaling them on stakes. He lived in the 15th century and is said to have inspired Bram Stoker for his famous Count Dracula.
In 1462, following a battle, Vlad left a field filled with thousands of impaled victims. More than 530 years later, in 1998, King Charles found out about his links to the Romanian ruler.
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He is, in fact, his great-grandson 16 times removed, through the consort of George V, Queen Mary, Romania Tour Store reports.
A genealogical tree in The British Chronicles written by David Hughes supports this claim.
The website adds: "It’s also no secret that Prince Charles is very fond of Romania, especially of the Transylvania region. It was after his first visit to Transylvania in 1998 that he found out about his connection to Vlad the Impaler, a connection that he is apparently very proud of.
"Through the Prince of Wales Foundation, Prince Charles has done plenty of charity work in Transylvania, especially in the fields of sustainable development, conservation, and farming systems. Because of his strong involvement in the region, the mayor of the city of Alba Iulia has proposed to grant Prince Charles the title of Prince of Transylvania as recognition for being a prominent ambassador of the Transylvania region all over the world."
A great-great grandmother of King Charles' late mother Queen Elizabeth II, Hungarian Countess Klaudia Rhedey, was also born and raised in Transylvania in the 19th century.