Did you know: Twilight’s Robert Pattinson is (kind of) related to Vlad Dracula

By Alma Fabiani

Published Mar 31, 2022 at 09:12 AM

Reading time: 2 minutes

29573

When it was first announced that Robert Pattinson—who had so far sent (mostly) teenage girls into an obsessive frenzy as Twilight’s enigmatic and, let’s be honest, super hot Edward Cullen—would be taking on the double-edged role of the Gotham-based superhero in Matt Reeves’ 2022 The Batman, a second round of hysteria surrounding the actor arose. This time however, his already impressive fan base of fan girls tilted more towards a male-dominated audience of film bros.

Though we’ve got nothing but praise for one of the few comic book superheroes to have a feel of ‘reality’ about them, to us, Pattinson will always be the perfect vampire lead. That is if you take the masterpiece that is Good Time out of the equation completely. But we digress.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Praying (@praying)

For those of you out there who agree with us on exactly how perfect the actor was for his role as Bella Swan’s tortured lover, buckle up because we’ve got a pretty mind-blowing fact you might enjoy. As it turns out, Pattinson is a distant kin of Vlad III, who you may know as Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula—we weren’t joking when we said perfect.

As you probably know, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which was published in 1897, was the first book to make a connection between Vlad Dracula and vampirism. According to Wikipedia, Stoker had his attention drawn to the blood-sucking vampires of Romanian folklore after reading Emily Gerard’s 1885 article about Transylvanian superstitions. That being said, it is common knowledge that Stoker did not know much about the infamous ruler and that the Irish author based the vampire character on quite a few other people as well.

It should also be noted that, as amazing as it is to learn that Pattinson is somehow related to Vlad the Impaler, the man lived over 550 years ago, meaning a lot of people are in fact related to him. But let’s not dwell on the past too much—let’s delve into exactly how the actor is related (even if distantly) to Dracula.

In 2010, Anastasia Tyler, a genealogist at the American genealogy company Ancestry, revealed that Pattinson and the Transylvanian leader are connected through their relationship to the British royal family. In other words, Prince William and Prince Harry are Pattinson’s distant cousins. Making Vlad III their distant uncle.

“Tracing Pattinson’s family back to Vlad was difficult research, but the pieces that unravelled created the perfect accompaniment to the Twilight saga,” said Tyler. “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.”

Funnily enough, it was also found that Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight book series, is connected to the two Princes’ lineage—and therefore to Dracula. Oh, and in case you’re more of a Pattinson fan because of his role in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, you might also be interested in the fact that in 2009, Ancestry genealogists said that actress Emma Watson, who plays teen witch Hermione Granger, is related to a 16th century woman accused of witchcraft. Spooky, right?

Keep On Reading

By Eliza Frost

Does the SKIMS Face Wrap actually work, or is it just another TikTok trap?

By Charlie Sawyer

Everything you need to know about toxic gossip site Tattle Life and how its founder finally got revealed

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Celebrities call out Blue Origin for sending Katy Perry and Lauren Sánchez to space

By Charlie Sawyer

Chappell Roan cancelled yet again for saying she can’t be expected to be politically educated all the time

By Eliza Frost

If everyone has an AI boyfriend, what does that mean for the future of Gen Z dating?

By Abby Amoakuh

Right-wing Christian podcaster claims that airport body scanners can turn you gay

By Charlie Sawyer

Australian actor Joseph Zada cast as Haymitch Abernathy in upcoming Hunger Games prequel

By Charlie Sawyer

22-year-old groom arrested after police find 9-year-old bride at staged Disneyland wedding

By Charlie Sawyer

Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz Beckham hire a lawyer to battle misinformation amid growing family rift

By Eliza Frost

Will Belly choose herself in the final episodes of The Summer I Turned Pretty?

By Eliza Frost

Kendall Jenner reveals plans to quit Kardashian fame for a normal job

By Charlie Sawyer

Fans express concern after Harry Potter TV series announces the casting of Harry, Ron, and Hermione

By Abby Amoakuh

I sat down with two professional matchmakers to solve Gen Z’s dating fatigue

By Charlie Sawyer

Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper accuses former soccer coach of sexual harassment in new docuseries

By Charlie Sawyer

What is Mar-a-Lago face? Unpacking the beauty trend prompted by Donald Trump’s second term

By Eliza Frost

Bad timing? Gavin Casalegno’s Dunkin’ ad sparks backlash over actor’s alleged conservative views

By Eliza Frost

Bereavement leave to be extended to miscarriages before 24 weeks

By Eliza Frost

Misogyny, sexism, and the manosphere: how this year’s Love Island UK has taken a step backwards

By Charlie Sawyer

Netflix’s new viral movie, The Life List, is prompting Gen Zers to break up with their boyfriends

By Abby Amoakuh

What is soft swinging? And why is the term trending on Mormon TikTok?