Britain's King Charles may not seem menacing but the monarch is said to have ties to the infamous Romanian ruler Vlad, considered the real-life Dracula!
The shocking discovery was made after genealogy revealed that King Charles is, in fact, a descendant of Vlad the Impaler, who ruled the region of Wallachia, Romania, in the 15th century, reported Mirror UK.
As per genealogy, Vlad is King Charles’ great grandfather 16 times removed, which comes through his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth’s grandfather George V’s consort, Queen Mary of Teck.
For a closer connection, King Charles is also reportedly childhood friends with Margareta of Romania, the country’s Custodian of the Crown.
Vlad’s infamous reign left him with the moniker, the Impaler, thanks to his favourite method of torture for his enemies; impaling them on wooden stakes for a most painful death.
In fact, Vlad is considered to be the real-life inspiration behind Bram Stoker’s iconic Dracula; Vlad was reportedly referred to as ‘Dracula’ during his reign, which meant the ‘Devil’s son’.
While King Charles’ connection to the dreaded Romanian ruler of the past may not be so strong, he does seem to hold a special place in his heart for the country; in 2015, as the Prince of Wales, Charles launched The Prince’s Trust Romania to ‘preserve heritage’.
