It reads like something out of a historical drama and in many ways, it is. The story connecting Britain's reigning monarch to America's sitting president winds through medieval Scottish battlefields, a Highland clan dynasty, and eventually lands in 20th century New York.
Robert Hardman, who recently published Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story, pieced together the lineage after detailed genealogical research carried out on behalf of the Daily Mail. The findings trace both Charles III and Donald Trump back to a single common ancestor: Matthew Stewart, the 3rd Earl of Lennox, who was himself a great-grandson of King James II of Scotland.
A Nobleman With a Violent End
The Earl of Lennox wasn't just a footnote in Scottish history he was a player in one of its most cutthroat political eras. He got caught up in a fierce and brutal power struggle over control of the young King James V, who was still an infant at the time. Things ended badly for Lord Lennox at the 1526 Battle of Linlithgow Bridge, where he was defeated, captured, and ultimately killed by a rival Scottish lord who carried the rather extraordinary title of the "Bastard of Arran."
Despite his violent death, Lennox left behind a legacy and several children.
The Road to the House of Windsor
One of his sons, the 4th Earl of Lennox, went on to father Lord Darnley, who became the husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. Their son eventually ascended to the English throne as King James I which is precisely where the Windsor family line connects back to this story.
The Road to Donald Trump
But Lord Lennox had other children too, and it's through one of his daughters that the Trump connection emerges.
His daughter Lady Helen married the 11th Earl of Sutherland. Their son, the 12th Earl, had a daughter named Lady Jane, who married the chief of the Scottish Highland Clan Mackay. That union produced a son, Donald Mackay.
From there, the family tree moves through generations of Mackays and MacLeods across the Scottish Highlands until we reach one Mary Anne MacLeod.
In 1930, a young Mary Anne left Scotland and emigrated to the United States, settling into a new life across the Atlantic. She eventually married a real estate developer named Fred Trump. Together, they had five children one of whom, born in 1946, went on to become the 45th and 47th President of the United States.
An Unlikely Diplomatic Card
Whether this genealogical twist actually does anything to ease transatlantic tensions remains to be seen. But it's hard to ignore the symbolism of it all a King and a President, currently navigating a diplomatically awkward moment, quietly sharing the same bloodline from five centuries ago.
Trump has never hidden his affection for the Royal Family. He's described Charles as someone he genuinely respects. Learning that they're distant cousins connected through a Scottish earl, a Highland clan, and centuries of history may only add to that warmth.
Sometimes, history has a funny way of bringing people together.
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