Pop Idol star makes same British royal discovery as Danny Dyer after nine years
EastEnders icon Danny Dyer left viewers gobsmacked when he found out his bloodline had been linked to English Royalty, and now a Pop Idol celebrity has stumbled upon a similarly astonishing discovery.
Will Young is set to appear on Who Do You Think You Are? where he's poised to uncover a bombshell that promises to shake his world to its core.
The 46-year-old chart-topper delves into historical records to trace any hidden secrets within his family tree. In an episode that promises to drop jaws, the Pop Idol winner discovers a connection to Hugh Le Despenser, a one-time confidant of King Edward II.
Hugh Le Despenser, a name etched in history, had amassed great wealth by acquiring lands in South Wales, becoming one of the wealthiest men of his era, reports Surrey Live.
But the revelations didn't stop there, Will was astounded to learn that he is a direct descendant of King Edward I, not once but twenty times over. Known as the Hammer of the Scots, Edward I reigned as King of England from 1272 until 1307.
Overwhelmed by the magnitude of his lineage, Will described the revelation as "soul nourishing" and expressed his astonishment: "I didn't expect it, my 20 times great-grandfather was Edward I, that's just bonkers, and then we move to the man, the myth, the legend, the horror that is Hugh Le Despenser, who's just an absolute monster of a man."
The episode took a poignant turn as the artist learnt his late grandfather Digby Young had been a bomber pilot and prisoner of war during WWII, a fact previously unknown to him.
Digby was detained in a German-occupied prison in Poland until he talked his way out and earned the role of Squadron Leader, piloting jets.
Will shared poignantly: "It's completely not how I saw him at all. I didn't know he went on to do any of this. Now I feel like I've got another grandfather. I didn't feel like I had a right, really, to claim another grandfather, because I didn't know him."
To honour his grandfather's memory, the pop star had a tattoo done with Digby's squadron number.
Will's revelation shares similarities with actor Danny Dyer's discovery that he descends from William the Conqueror and King Edward III, uncovered on the 2016 series of Who Do You Think You Are?
Like Will, Danny also found out he was related to Thomas Cromwell, the counsellor to Henry VIII and protagonist of the English Reformation.
Will Young's royal discovery will air on June 3, at 9pm on BBC One.
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