King Charles opened up about his interesting ancestral connection to the 15th-century Roman ruler Vlad the Impaler in a discussion with actor Luke Evans.
The Beauty and the Beast actor penned the moment he had the honour of having a chat with the then-Prince Charles in 2014 in his memoir.
According to Luke, he met the King at The Savoy Hotel in London, where he was present after being appointed ambassador for what is now known as The King's Trust, a charity established by Charles in 1976 to assist disadvantaged British youth.
During their first meeting, the monarch approached Luke with "a good, strong handshake" before enquiring about his current projects.
At the time, the 46-year-old actor had recently completed filming Dracula Untold, portraying Vlad Tepes III, the mediaeval Romanian warlord better known as Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula.
Upon hearing the news, Charles's "eyes lit up", according to Luke' memoir, prompting the royal to share his remarkable family connection.
"I'll tell you an interesting story. I'm actually related to Vlad Tepes," the king revealed to the stunned actor.
The monarch subsequently detailed his complete ancestry stretching to the 1400s, as Luke wrote, "To my astonishment, he then proceeded to talk me through his entire lineage."
Charles additionally disclosed his ownership of multiple estates in Romania, the nation once governed by Vlad, and its famous region of Transylvania.
When the Weekend in Taipei actor expressed his amazement at this "most incredible story", the King responded, "Yes, and not a lot of people know it," before continuing his rounds with a smile.
This was not Charles's first public acknowledgement of his Transylvanian heritage.
King Charles declared in a 2011 television program that "the genealogy shows that I am descended from Vlad the Impaler."
