Witches and wizards could exist among the uppermost echelons of British society, if one Harry Potter fan theory is to be believed.


The analysis by reddit user Obversa begins with the fact – as established by author JK Rowling – that magical ability is inherited via a dominant gene, and goes on to lay out a number of pieces of supposed evidence that lead Observa to the conclusion that members of the royal family could be imbued with magical abilities to this day.

Firstly, Observa points to the royal Tudor family and its supposed association with magic, including an apparently thwarted attempt by the Malfoys to marry into royalty and the representation in the Harry Potter films of Mary I as a witch, whose portrait hung in the halls of Hogwarts along with those of several other Tudor monarchs. According to further Potterworld literature by Rowling, Armand Malfoy also provided aid to William the Conquerer, the first Norman king of England.

Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, known after his death as “Nearly Headless Nick”, is cited as evidence that other wizards were present at the royal court too, while Observa also notes accusations of witchcraft levelled at queens or queen consorts throughout British history and pays particular attention to the Woodville family, which apparently married into the royal line during the 15th century, and whose coat of arms featured a golden griffin reminiscent of the crest of Hogwarts House Gryffindor.

In fact, Potterworld is said to make reference to magicians having had an influence on British royalty as far back as the Dark Ages, specifically King Arthur’s advisor Merlin, the “most famous wizard of all time” (who also happened to turn up on a Chocolate Frog card owned by one Harry Potter).

But what of the claim that magic could still reside among the royals today? Observa notes a 1991 report in the Daily Prophet newspaper about one of the Queen’s Corgis being transformed into a hamster, and also the strange tale of the Her Majesty’s missing handbag, a mystery which saw Hogwarts pupils Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Grainger and Neville Longbottom searching Buckingham Palace for clues (and of course there’s Harry, Kate and William’s trip to Diagon Alley, above)


In the end, whether there’s enough evidence there to convince you that not all British royals are Muggles is up to you, but it’s certainly worth reading Observa’s full account of the ‘evidence’ here…