The 'Better Call Saul' actor was caught off guard when he was told on the PBS television show 'Finding Your Roots' that the British monarch is actually his cousin.
- January 31, 2024
AceShowbiz - Bob Odenkirk was stunned to discover he is related to Britain's King Charles. The 61-year-old American actor becomes the latest celebrity to appear on PBS' "Finding Your Roots" on Tuesday, January 30, and he is flabbergasted when he is told he and the 75-year-old monarch are 11th cousins.
The "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" star's fifth great-grandfather Friedrich Carl Steinholz was born out of wedlock to Maria Catharina and the Duke of Plon.
Odenkirk reacts, "I'm an American, I'm not a monarchist. You know, I feel like it's a little twisted. I understand why society built itself around monarchs and leaders, and they passed them down through generations."
"I understand that goes through every society, every civilisation. But I think that we've gotten to a better place with democracy and we should keep going down that road."
The episode is airing as the king recovers from treatment for a benign enlarged prostate. The 75-year-old monarch had an operation at The London Clinic last Friday, January 26 and left the hospital on Monday, January 29 afternoon after a three-day stay.
It's expected he won't carry out any public engagements for the next month or so. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said, "The King was this afternoon discharged from hospital following planned medical treatment and has rescheduled forthcoming public engagements to allow for a period of private recuperation."
"He would like to thank the medical team and all those involved in supporting his hospital visit, and is grateful for all the kind messages he has received in recent days."
