HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Robert Pattinson isn't the only famous vampire in his family.
Genealogists say the Twilight star is related to Vlad the Impaler, widely cited as the inspiration for the main character in Bram Stoker's classic 1897 novel, Dracula.
According to researchers at Ancestry.com, Pattinson and Vlad (real name: Vlad III Dracula) are likely related through the British royal family. Pattinson is distant cousins with Prince William and Prince Harry on their father's side, likely through the Pickering family who lived in Yorkshire, England, in the early 1500s. Vlad the Impaler is a distant uncle of Prince William and Prince Harry.
Born in Transylvania, Vlad the Impaler was a three-time ruler of Wallachia (now a region of Romania) who ruled primarily from 1456 to 1462. Vlad's nickname, "the Impaler," stems from his cruel and inhumane punishments of enemies.
"Tracing Pattinson's family back to Vlad was difficult research, but the pieces that unraveled created the perfect accompaniment to the Twilight Saga," said Anastasia Tyler, a genealogist at Ancestry.com. "Without any myth or magic, we find royalty and vampires lurking in Pattinson's life – making his story just as supernatural as the one he's playing on screen."
As it turns out, Pattinson isn't the only Twilight personality with real-life vampire connections. Ancestry.com found that Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight series, is also a distant cousin to the British princes – linking Meyer to famed Dracula as well.
The third installment in the hit vampire series, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, opens nationwide on June 30.
Also see: Robert Pattinson Photos
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