Robert Pattinson and Dracula are distant relatives

Posted: 6:17 p.m. today
Updated: 7:24 p.m. today

LOS ANGELES &mdash - Robert Pattinson isn't the only famous vampire in his family.

Genealogists say the 24-year-old "Twilight" star is related to Vlad the Impaler, widely cited as the inspiration for the main character in Bram Stoker's "Dracula."

Researchers at Ancestry.com discovered that Pattinson and the Transylvanian leader (real name: Vlad III Dracula) are connected through their relationship to the British royal family. Prince William and Prince Harry are Pattinson's distant cousins; Vlad the Impaler was their distant uncle.

"Tracing Pattinson's family back to Vlad was difficult research, but the pieces that unraveled created the perfect accompaniment to the Twilight Saga," said Anastasia Tyler, a genealogist at Ancestry.com. "Without any myth or magic, we find royalty and vampires lurking in Pattinson's life - making his story just as supernatural as the one he's playing on screen."

Also connected to the prince's lineage and therefore to Dracula? Stephenie Meyer, the author of the "Twilight" series.

The latest big-screen installment in the popular vampire saga, "Eclipse," opens June 30.