Emmerdale star is related to the Royal family – thanks to a scandalous affair
Chas's doctor in Emmerdale - Rebecca Grant
Former Emmerdale actress Rebecca Grant has starred in the likes of Holby City and Doctors,but did you know her family is linked to the British Royal Family.
The star’s fascinating ancestry could give TV writers a run for their money after she previously revealed details about an affair involving her great grandmother.
‘My great-grandmother Ernestine Hester Maude Bowes Lyon actually grew up in Glamis Castle with her first cousin the Queen Mother.’ she told The Sun.
‘Ernestine was born in 1891 and married Francis Scott and had two sons together.
Emmerdale star Rebecca Grant previously revealed her royal connection
‘But she eloped with a dashing army officer called Ronald Grant, Baron de Longueuil, and when he went off to fight on the Western Front she even followed him there as a nurse. Apparently Grant tried to end the relationship and pleaded with Ernestine to return to her family.’
She continued: ‘But the whole affair caused a huge scandal at the time and when Ernestine returned to London she was divorced by her husband in 1918.’
Her great-grandmother died in France in 1986 at the age of 95.
Royal historians also confirmed that the Nottingham-born actress is actually fourth cousin to Prince William and Harry.
Addressing her royal connection, she said: ‘I certainly wasn’t raised with a silver spoon in my mouth in Nottingham by a single mum.
‘I have had no privileges at all and have worked bloody hard to get where I am.’
The 42-year-old shared that she has never met her regal cousins but she was once introduced to the heir to the throne Prince Charles and even wrote to him about their 19th Century family connection.
After a string of regular TV roles including BBC’s Showtrial and Some Like It Hot, Rebecca was scouted by the country’s number one band Jive Aces and even played a number of UK Jazz Festivals.
