Bob Odenkirk stunned to learn he is related to the Royal Family

Actor Bob Odenkirk learned he is related to the British royal family after his familial links to King Charles III were revealed.

Learning about your family history can be an enlightening experience that teaches you about where you’ve come from. And, it can be made even more eye-opening to learn that you have links to actual royalty, like when Danny Dyer discovered he was related to Thomas Cromwell, King Edward III, William the Conqueror and King Henry III.

That’s exactly what happened when Breaking Bad and Better Caul Saul actor Odenkirk appeared on PBS’ Finding Your Roots (the US equivalent of the UK’s Who Do You Think You Are?) and learned of his royal heritage.

Researchers looking into his family history revealed Odenkirk and Charles are 11th cousins. They also found that his fifth great-grandfather, Friedrich Carl Steinholz, was the son of the Duke of Plön, who was linked to other royal families of Europe through marriage.

The stunning discovery came after 61-year-old Odenkirk revealed he doesn’t believe in a monarchy and claimed: “I’m an American. I’m not a monarchist.”

Odenkirk said of the revelation: “You know, I feel like it's a little twisted. I understand why society built itself around monarchs and leaders, and they passed them down through generations.

“I understand that goes through every society, every civilization. But I think that we've gotten to a better place with democracy and we should keep going down that road.”

Asked if he’d consider changing his view on the monarchy having learned of his links, a stunned Odenkirk joked: “Well, maybe I’ll change my mind on that. Oh, that is crazy!”

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