Is Benedict Cumberbatch part of the royal family?

Benedict Cumberbatch played his own ancestor King Richard III. The “Sherlock” actor played the 15th-century king in a BBC adaptation of Shakespeare’s “War of the Roses” plays called “The Hollow Crown.” Genealogists said they are second cousins, 16 times removed, the Guardian reported.

Who are the living descendants of Richard III?

The male-line relatives As Richard III left no living descendants, Professor Schürer’s genealogical research to find male line relatives led him up to Edward III, Richard III’s great, great grandfather and from there Professor Schürer traced a number of male descendants.

Is Benedict Cumberbatch in line to the throne?

Actor Benedict Cumberbatch is as closely related to Richard III as the Queen, a genealogist has claimed. Professor Kevin Schurer has revealed Cumberbatch and the 15th century monarch are third cousins, 16 times removed, as the Sherlock star prepares to play the king in a new BBC series.

Is Benedict Cumberbatch a Plantagenet?

The television special follows Richard Plantagenet (Cumberbatch) as he becomes the first Duke of York and fights his way to the English throne to become King Richard III. As seen in the trailer, this story will entail pure drama, passion and war.

How many people are related to Benedict Cumberbatch?

It is estimated that between one and 17 million people in the UK alone are related in some way to the Plantagenet king, but Cumberbatch’s kinship is much closer than most.

How old is Benedict Cumberbatch in Hollow Crown?

The 38-year-old Sherlock actor will star as the English king in BBC’s The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses, an adaptation of four of Shakespeare’s historical plays. Cumberbatch family genealogist, Bob Cumberbatch, said: ‘Personally, I think it’s fabulous.

How much DNA does Benedict share with Richard?

This means Benedict would be expected to share ~ 1/1,048,576 of his DNA with Richard through this relationship. Alongside this there is a shuffling of DNA (known as recombination) which occurs before each of our parents passes down the portion of DNA we are to inherit.