Millions of Brits are clueless about royal history

Think you know the year Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games for veterans, or when the Queen Mother was born? This tricky game shows how much of a history buff you really are.

Put your knowledge about the royal family to the test with this Coronation edition of Yeardle game. Each day, you will have up to six chances to get the dates correct – can you guess quicker than your friends?

It comes after research found millions of Brits are clueless about royal history with more than one in 10 believing actor Hugh Grant is part of the monarchy. A study of a wide selection of UK adults found 11 per cent also assumed David Attenborough is related to the royal family, while others thought the same of Keira Knightly (10 per cent) and Colin Firth (10 per cent).

Family history also proved problematic with 14 per cent unable to identify a picture of Queen Victoria, and 12 per cent didn’t know what Henry VIII looked like. And while the royal family changed their name to Windsor during World War I, just 48 per cent knew they were previously known as Saxe-Coburg.

Instead, 15 per cent believed they were known as the Tudor family – despite these royals being on the throne hundreds of years earlier. While only 65 per cent knew Henry VIII had six wives.

A spokesman for Lottoland, which commissioned the research and created the game, said: “Many of us love reading about the royal family – they are figure heads for the UK and are known around the world. But it seems many are confused by the monarchy and its history – even when it comes to previous kings and queens. More importantly, the fact that celebrities and icons such as Hugh Grant and David Attenborough are even thought of as members of the royal family speaks volume in terms of the nation’s knowledge of the British monarchy. The royal edition of Yeardle can’t come soon enough.’’

The study of 2000 also found 29 per cent of adults enjoy keeping up with the royal family, but 33 per cent admitted they aren’t that confident when it comes to recalling the people involved and key dates.

And 45 per cent felt they should know more about royal history, with it being central to British culture the top reason to learn more (54 per cent).

Finding it interesting (48 per cent), being able to offer an opinion in conversations (27 per cent) and the topic coming up regularly in pub quizzes (24 per cent) were also incentives for adults to better understand the royal family.

Princess Anne recently visited Coronation Street. (ITV). Pictured top, Charles and Camilla visited EastEnders last year. (BBC).

But 66 per cent find royal history confusing, thanks to the timeline going back so far (50 per cent), monarchs all having similar names (47 per cent) and the variety of different titles (43 per cent).

While 24 per cent believed the royal family structure is unclear – with 13 per cent unaware Prince William is heir to the throne. Despite this, 40 per cent think events such as the coronation and the jubilees encourage them to learn more about its history. More than half (52 per cent) tune into documentaries to learn more about the subject, while 40 per cent like to read online articles.

Although 22 per cent feel they’ve learned more from popular Netflix show The Crown.

The research, carried out via OnePoll, found that despite the lack of knowledge, 19 per cent are planning to watch the King’s coronation, while others will attend street parties, bake cakes or even host a royal themed party.

The spokesperson for Lottoland added: ‘’It’s good to see people keen to understand more about British culture and the history of the royal family. And with the King’s Coronation taking place this weekend, it’s the perfect time to brush up on your knowledge and commemorate what will be a historical occasion.’’