Prince Charles claims vampire ancestor

The heir to the British throne says he is related to Vlad the Impaler, the cruel 15th-Century Romanian warlord who helped inspire Bram Stoker's 1897 vampire novel "Dracula."

He makes the comments on an upcoming TV show to promote his interest in protecting the forests of Romania's Transylvania region.

Charles says genealogy shows that he is related to Vlad, giving him a stake in the future of Romania. The prince has long worked to conserve the forests and has bought a home in the region.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45058672#

I can see the resemblance . . .  



Happy Halloween.  

The novel "Dracula" was written by Bram Stoker in a place called Whitby on the Yorkshire coast, my home town and where I was born, there is a blue plaque at number 7 Royal Cresent where he stayed, infact Whitby features in the novel been the place where Dracula arrives in England.

Around Halloween each year there is a goth festival in Whitby, the town is regarded like a kind of Mecca by goths due to its links with Dracula and its quaint historical appearance.

There's nothing new under the sun.

Vlad III is best known by the Romanian people for his success in standing up to the encroaching Ottoman Turks and establishing relative independence and sovereignty.

I loved the comment about having a 'stake' in the country!

Of course Vlad Tepes wasn't a vampire but the vampire legend was certainly mainly prevalent in Eastern Europe!