Donald Trump And Hillary Clinton Revealed As 19th Cousins by Genealogists

Strangely, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton are said to be related.

One report from Extra  explains that they are 19th cousins, with a common ancestor from England 18 generations ago.

Hence, they are the direct descendants of the 14th century first Duke of Lancaster, John of Gaunt, and his wife Katherine Swynford. She was at first his mistress, but later they married and their children were "legitimized", according to the Daily Mail.

"John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, married Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster, and John and Katherine are Donald and Hillary's shared 18th great grandparents," reports Extra.

Hillary Clinton is a descendant of one of their children, Joan Beaufort, whose brother John Beaufort is an ancestor of Trump, discovered myheritage.

Moreover, their 19th great grandfather was King Edward III, said the author A.J. Jacobs, who studied the data available. "So there is a precedent for ruling a country; it's in their genes," Jacobs told the television program.

Hillary's illustrious list of cousins doesn't end here. During her 2008 presidential campaign, researchers revealed that she was a distant cousin of Celine Dion, Madonna and Alanis Morissette. Even Angelina Jolie is said to be Clinton's ninth cousin twice removed.

It is even more surprising that President Barack Obama and former Vice-President Dick Cheney were also said to be eighth cousins, said Cheney's wife, Lynne, in 2007. She was looking into her own ancestry to write her memoir.

"Every family has a black sheep," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said at the time.