London, July 1 (IANS) A king of England and an earl of Leicester may be among the ancestors of Hollywood actress Brook Shields, an amateur genealogist has claimed.
Genealogist John Lloyd Marlow believes he has found a little-known connection between the actress and Simon de Montfort, the sixth earl of Leicester.
Through research on internet, the 73-year-old says he has also found links between the actress and King Edward III, whose fourth son, John of Gaunt lived in Leicester Castle.
Marlow said he used the website lagenealogy.net to find details of the actress’ heritage.
‘Brooke Shields is a descendant through 24 generations from Simon de Montfort 6th Earl of Leicester. He was the grandfather of Anastasia de Montfort, who married into Italian nobility at the end of the 13th century,’ he told Leicester Mercury.
‘Brooke Shields is also a descendant of King Edward III of England. His fourth son was John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and Earl of Leicester, who lived at Leicester Castle for several years.
‘His eldest daughter, Philippa, was born at Leicester Castle in 1360 and 27 years later she married King Joao 1 (John 1) of Portugal. Their descendants through the royal family of Portugal are numbered amongst the direct descendants of Brooke Shields,’ he added.
Coincidentally, Brook Shields will appear on British screens in the popular BBC1 series ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ Sunday.
