Swinton's Royal Roots

Genealogists in Edinburgh have discovered the Burn After Reading star is 19 generations removed from the monarch, aka Robert I, who freed Scotland from English rule.

Both the star's parents are linked to the king's grandson Robert II - Sir John Swinton is a descendant of Robert II's illegitimate son, the Duke of Albany, while the actress' mother Lady Swinton is descended from Robert II's mistress, Mariotta Cardney.

The royal relations aren't the only notable links found in the Swinton family tree - the 48 year old is also related to Alan Archibald Campbell Swinton, who took the first X-rays in the U.K., and Major General Sir Ernest Swinton, who helped develop the tank, according to new findings released to the media on Tuesday (22Sep09).