Prince Charles claims Vlad the Impaler as ancestor

LONDON (AP) -October 27, 2011

The heir to the British throne says he is related to Vlad the Impaler, the cruel 15th-Century Romanian warlord who helped inspire Bram Stoker's 1897 vampire novel "Dracula."

He makes the comments on an upcoming TV show to promote his interest in protecting the forests of Romania's Transylvania region.

Charles says genealogy shows that he is related to Vlad, giving him a stake in the future of Romania. The prince has long worked to conserve the forests and has bought a home in the region.

On a visit to Romania earlier this year, he called Transylvania a national treasure because of its unspoiled landscape and centuries-old rural farming traditions.

Copyright © 2024 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.