Donald Trump has never been shy about thinking big – and now it turns out he might just have the family tree to back it up.
The U.S. President took to social media this week to share a remarkable revelation: he and King Charles III are, according to genealogists, 15th cousins.
Trump posted a Daily Mail report alongside a family tree linking the two men’s bloodlines, adding his trademark reaction: “Wow, that’s nice. I’ve always wanted to live in Buckingham Palace!!! I’ll talk to the King and Queen about this in a few minutes!!!”
The common ancestor, it turns out, is a 15th-century Scottish nobleman – John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox, and great-grandson of King James II of Scotland.
From there, the two family lines quietly diverged over fourteen generations, eventually producing a reigning British monarch on one side and an American president on the other.
Trump’s connection runs through his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland before emigrating to the United States – her maiden name, MacLeod, being the final link in a chain of Scottish surnames stretching back centuries.
But don’t start planning the Buckingham Palace renovation just yet.
“The link is so remote it has zero practical significance,” a source tells Woman’s Day. “At that distance, you’re basically related to half the population of medieval Scotland. It’s the kind of connection that sounds impressive until you realise almost anyone with British ancestry ends up being a distant cousin of royalty if you dig back far enough.”
And in royal circles, it’s not even that unusual. Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp are all distant cousins of the late Queen Elizabeth II – and Madonna and Queen Camilla are related.
“This isn’t the first time something quirky has turned up in the Royal Family’s genealogy,” the source adds. Paris Hilton, Kit Harington and Beyoncé have all been linked to the family tree at one point or another.
The timing of Trump’s post coincides with Charles’ first official state visit to the U.S. since ascending the throne in 2022 – a trip carrying no small amount of diplomatic weight at a moment when relations between Britain and America are, by most accounts, under serious strain.
“It’s true that the timing of this discovery was unfortunate and the President’s post about wanting to live in Buckingham Palace did ruffle a few feathers back home in London,” a source tells Woman’s Day.
“But Charles was there in a diplomatic capacity. Relations between the US and UK are at an all-time low, and he hopes that marking 250 years since the Empire lost America will go some way. Having to ‘play cousins’ with the President can only help what has been a tense situation.”
For his part, Trump has nothing but warmth for the King. He’s spoken fondly of the late Queen Elizabeth II, recalling that what was meant to be a brief courtesy call at their first meeting in 2018 stretched to nearly an hour – and ultimately led to a full state visit the following year, making him the final state guest of her reign.
That affection extends to Charles. “He’s fantastic – a fighter,” Trump said. “We’re close. I have a really good relationship with him. He’s a great guy.”
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