With Sherlock returning today, Ancestry.com hit upon the ultimate connection to make the news. They found that Benedict Cumberbatch, the actor who stars as the modern day Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the super-sleuth, are related. They share a common ancestor named John of Gaunt. The 14th century Duke of Lancaster was the fourth son of King Edward III of England and a close friend to Geoffrey Chaucer, the author of The Canterbury Tales.

This also means that both Doyle and Cumberbatch are descendants of royalty.

John of Gaunt’s son John Beaufort was the 16th great-grandfather of Cumberbatch while John of Gaunt’s daughter Joan Beaufort was the 14th great-grandmother of Doyle, making the two men 16th cousins twice removed.

Here is the genealogy chart to show the connection.

[Source: EW.com]

Benedict Cumberbatch A Distant Relative Of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle