A very Poetic revelation: Family tree reveals Taylor Swift is a descendant of ROYALTY – as she joins Meghan Markle and Queen Camilla in having an unlikely famous relative

With her record-breaking success and unparalleled fan base, you won’t have to go far to hear Taylor Swift described as the Queen of Pop.

But today her royal ancestry was laid bare for the first time, as it was revealed the global superstar is in fact a descendant of French King Louis XIV.

Swift, 34, is the eighth cousin – 11 times removed – of Louis, the monarch behind the iconic Palace of Versailles, according to the global family history platform MyHeritage.

While they may seem the most unlikely of relatives at first glance, the heritage site notes that Swift is no stranger to her ancestor’s life of luxury, having filmed the music video for her hit Blank Space in an opulent building bearing similarities to that of Versailles.

The startling revelation comes as France prepares to welcome the singer for a series of six concerts as part of her record-breaking Eras tour, scheduled to take place in Paris (May 9-12) and Lyon (June 2-3). 

The roots of their connection stretch back to aristocratic England in the 14th century, where common ancestors Michael de la Pole, 2nd Earl of Suffolk, and his wife Katherine Stafford laid the foundation for a regal lineage. 

On Swift’s side, in the 17th century, her paternal English ancestors left for the American colonies and settled in Massachusetts, before arriving in Pennsylvania a few generations later. 

As for Louis XIV, the connection is traced through an English lady who wed a count of Béarn in the 15th century, located in Southwestern France. 

Their great-granddaughter ascended to become Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, and her granddaughter, none other than Marie de’ Medici, served as the paternal grandmother to the French King Louis XIV. 

Director of Research at MyHeritage, Roi Mandel, told MailOnline: ‘On the occasion of Taylor Swift’s concert tour in Paris, our team at MyHeritage decided to dive into [Taylor’s] family history to check if she has French roots hidden somewhere in the family past.

‘We were amazed to find out that not only are there roots – they are royal roots, and she is nothing less than a distant cousin of King Louis XIV!
‘The Queen of Pop is a relative of the Sun King. It’s a really poetic revelation.’