Courteney Cox Learns Her Ancestors Were Kings and Kingslayers

Courteney Cox was a guest on Who Do You Think You Are?, where she found out that her some of her ancestors were pretty important people.

With a little help from the good folks at Ancestry.com, Cox learned that her 18-times great-grandfather was an English baron by the name of Thomas de Berkeley. In 1327, Berkeley imprisoned King Edward II at the behest of Queen Isabella.

While the king was under Berkeley’s care, he reportedly died of natural causes, but according to one account he was murdered in a most gruesome fashion. Cox read that Berkeley, “with great and heavy feather bed, smothered him. Thrusting a hollow instrument into his fundament and through it a red hot iron up into his bowels.”

Berkeley was tried for the murder and was found innocent, which worked out great for Cox because that meant her branch of the family tree was able to grow.

Cox found out even more amazing news, in that her 20-times great-grandfather was Edward I, her 25-times great-grandfather was Henry I, and her 26-times great-grandfather was none other than William the Conqueror!

So it looks as though Cox can add royalty to the long list of things she has going for her.

Who Do You Think You Are? airs Sundays at 10pm ET on TLC.

See what happened when Courteney Cox went Running Wild with Bear Grylls.

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