Trump and King Charles related? Viral genealogy sparks buzz

A drawn-out, yet thorough, research was conducted by the Daily Mail publication on Monday, where the world learnt that US President Donald Trump and the British monarch King Charles could very well be distant cousins.

The mapping of the lineage showed that they share a common ancestor in the the 3rd Earl of Lennox, a great-grandson of King James II of Scotland, making them 15th cousins.

"Lord Lennox was involved in a vicious power struggle for control over the infant King James V and was eventually defeated at the Battle of Linlithgow Bridge in 1526," the Mail shared.

The ancestry dates back Lord Lennox who was involved in a power struggle for control over the infant King James V. He was overpowered at the Battle of Linlithgow Bridge in 1526.

Soon after being taken in as prisoner, he was murdered by Bastard of Arran. "The 4th Earl of Lennox, his son, went on to produce Lord Darnley, husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. Their son became King James I of England, from whom the Stuarts and, eventually, the House of Windsor would all descend," the research by Daily Mail stated.

The other side of the lineage included lord Lennox's daughter, Lady Helen. She wed the 11th Earl of Sutherland. The Earl was murdered by poisoning, but his son, the 12th Earl, survived the attempt. He went on to have a daughter, Lady Jane.

"She went on to marry a chief of the Clan Mackay and their son, the much-married Donald Mackay, was created 1st Lord Reay – who also happened to be a staunch supporter of another King Charles," the Mail dated.

Through various generations of Mackays and then of MacLeods, the ancestry traced to Mary Anne MacLeod of Lewis. She emigrated to the US in the year 1930, and married Fred Trump, a property developer. With him, she had five children, their fourth child being Donald Trump.

Through various genealogists have been unable to ascertain the lineage of the current US President, stating gaps in record and confusions around aspects, the tracing conducted by Daily Mail's Robert Harman giving the world a fair idea of the ancestry.

Trump reacted to the theory by sharing a post on Truth Social, where he wrote, "Wow, that’s nice. I’ve always wanted to live in Buckingham Palace!!! I’ll talk to the King and Queen about this in a few minutes!!!" ash he shard a picture of the Mail's article.

There are various terms officials used to describe the ties between the United States and the United Kingdom. Some called it a "special relationship", while other diplomats referenced by the Mail called the bond as an "enduring relationship" or "extraordinary alliance".

King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived in the United States on Monday afternoon for a four-day trip, a day after the shooting took place at the White House correspondents' dinner.

The state visit marked the 250th anniversary of the US declaration of independence from British rule, King Charles being the first to the country by a British monarch for two decades.