Researchers have found that former child stars Dakota and Elle Fanning may be the direct descendants of British monarch King Edward III - which also makes them 21st cousins to Kate Middleton.

Researchers with the site Ancestry.com say 16 year-old Elle and her 20 year-old sister Dakota have roots tracing back seven centuries, all the way through their mother to King Edward III of England. According

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Thus linking them as cousins of the Dutchess of Cambridge and future Queen of England Kate Middleton through their common ancestor Edward I Longshanks, grandfather to Edward III and antagonist of the Mel Gibson film Braveheart.

The researchers discovered the distant connection, which links the sisters to the royal line 25 generations removed, after painstaking genealogy efforts spanning 700 years of records that show the sisters to be legitimate princesses of England.

Edward III, also known as Edward of Windsor, ruled England between 1327 to 1377, and is historically known as a temperamental king who started the Hundred Years' War between England and France.

Edward I, also known as Edward Longshanks for his towering height, was similarly known to be an intimidating man who waged brutal war against the Scots, expelled the Jews from England and regained royal authority.

Kate Middleton, 32, famously married Prince William three years ago in a widely publicized ceremony and has since made a major impact on British fashion and culture, with Time magazine listing her as one of the most influential people in the world.

Dakota Fanning is the more famous one of the Fanning sisters, having starred in dozens of productions since the age of 6, growing to one of Hollywood's most prolific and celebrated young actors. Since then, she's starred opposite some of the industry's biggest names in films such as I Am Sam, Man on Fire, War of the Worlds and three instalments of the Twilight franchise.

Elle Fanning, meanwhile, has had a more modest career, starting out often playing a younger double for her sister before finding her own success in films such as Déjà Vu, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Super 8.

They both are described as being of otherwise French, German and Irish ancestry and were both born and raised in Georgia.

The Fannings are set to appear in two upcoming films, Dakota in Jesse Eisenberg-led thriller Night Moves and Elle, as a Disney princess no less, in the fantasy movie Maleficent, opposite Angelina Jolie, both films premiering this week in the US.

TagsKate Middleton, Dakota Fanning, Elle Fanning, Related, Cousins, Royalty, British, Georgia, Braveheart, Edward III, Edward Longshanks, Edward of Windsor, Edward I, England, Maleficent, Angelina Jolie, Jesse Eisenberg, Man on Fire, I Am Sam, Super 8, War of the Worlds, Benjamin Button, Deja Vu, Queen, Princess, Prince, Prince William