Boris's royal roots revealed: descended from George II

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Boris Johnson discovered he was descended from King George II through the king's illegitimate great-great-great grandaughter.

Mr Johnson is related to George II by his paternal grandmother Irene Williams, nicknamed "Granny Butter" in the family.

Her great grandparents were Baron Charles de Pfeffel, a minor noble in southern Germany, and Karoline von Rottenburg.

Von Rottenburg was the illegitimate daughter of Prince Paul von Wurttermberg - who was the great-great grandson of King George, the British monarch for 33 years from 1727.

The Mayor's royal antecedents are revealed in an episode of the BBC documentary Who do You Think You Are? broadcast later this month. Mr Johnson said: "One of the mysteries of my childhood was just how posh was Granny Butter? Was she really a French toff like she'd told us?"

Mr Johnson has described himself as a "one-man melting point" and in an interview with the Radio Times he said: "I know it looks like I'm some kind of foreign toff, which is not necessarily good PR. It is interesting to look at how British I can feel and yet, actually, what a mongrel composition I really am."