“Where’s that twat, he’s in Nice with his trotters up.” The infamous words of a beloved cockney bad boy, or a celebrated royal? Well, a group of fringe conspiracy theorists believe it’s both and that Danny Dyer is actually an accepted member of the royal family.

Nearly ten years ago, it was discovered and revealed on the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? that Danny Dyer is a descendant of King Edward III, making him 197th in line for the throne. He did not shy away from this revelation, flaunting it instead, making shows like Danny Dyer’s Right Royal Family. Even now, Danny Dyer wears this lineage proudly, keeping it in his Instagram bio, and referencing it in many interviews. And a group of conspiracy theorists believe that this is entirely deliberate, and that Danny’s lineage may be even closer after all. 

“He’s royal through and through, I think the royal family have always known, they just let it be revealed on the BBC when it suited them,” Jack Leigh, 32, the leader of this fringe group of thinkers. “I think Danny Dyer is now accepted by the Windsors, he’s in there in a way that they’ll never reveal.”

Opinions on the royals have certainly been changing, according to YouGov surveys, since just 2019, public opinion of the royals has declined 9% from 60% to 51% of people believing the royal family is good for Britain. And this niche group believes that Danny Dyer may be the undercover solution to the family’s PR issues. 

The lines between celebrity culture and royal representation are blurring more and more as time goes on, and whilst the belief that Danny Dyer could be the middleman for this integration seems quite outlandish, Jack believes it staunchly. 

“I suspect they may have already known and controlled when his heritage came out, or they jumped onto the new information and seized the opportunity, but it’s a marketing move from them either way,” Jack says. “And I think it’s worked, they’re keeping on, aren’t they, the royal family, they seem more relatable than ever, it’s given people another bit of access almost. Like if Danny Dyer is inline for the throne somehow, maybe I could be too.” 

I wondered if knowing this link does change perception of the royals to be any more relatable? Could it come out that I’m actually 196th in line? How dreadful would it be if you watched nearly two hundreds royals perish before you, you finally have your moment to rule, then you hear an ominous “the fuck you think you’re doing” come from behind you, from Danny Dyer, one step away from the throne. 

So we went and asked what other people thought of the royals, and whether Danny Dyer’s lineage changed this at all. 

“I couldn’t care less about the royal family,” anti-monarchist Jess, 21, said. “But if Danny Dyer managed to get his hands on the throne, I think I’d be more pro-monarchy for sure. Good for him, you know.” 

“I don’t think the royal family would want a single thing to do with him,” royalist David, 71, said. “If anything it damages the image the monarchy works so hard to uphold, they’ve had enough scandal, they definitely don’t need Danny frigging Dyer brandishing a royal title around.” 

Jack believes that Danny is really in with the family now, and is being directed by them to keep the royalty as a proud part of his brand. “He’ll be in and out of Buckingham Palace, furtively, they’re all onside with him now and I think have accepted him as a real part of the family.” I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine Danny Dyer asking Camilla to ‘pass the fucking mash’ at a Sunday roast at Buck Pal. 

What Jack doesn’t take into account as much is Danny Dyer’s equally as staunch pride of the familial connection he has with Thomas Cromwell, the leader of reformation in Britain, who has more humble roots and historical impact. So beyond his royal pride, is there any other evidence for Danny Dyer’s covert connection with the royals? 

“It’s been dragged out too long, and look at his success now,” Jack says. “He’s back on our screens, back in our homes, back to being loved. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. They scratch his back, he scratches theirs I reckon.” 

The media response Dyer’s revelation initially got is no doubt due to his working class roots. Is there anyone seemingly less royal? Whilst Danny Dyer may be a national treasure to most, and some may call Dyer a ‘King’, he certainly does not have a squeaky clean image that would be in line with the royals’ brand. 

“Who’s better to flip the script for the royals and get more people on-side than a lovable hard man like him,” Jack said. “Now they have everything, they’ve got their regular sovereignty, but peddling celebrity connections like that appeals to the working class they may have lost.” 

Royal historian Elizabeth Norton, is somewhat non-committal to the idea that Danny Dyer could be royal insider. “I certainly don’t know of any royal connection deeper than what has been published of his distant family relation,” she said. “I’ve never heard of there being any private communication between him and the family, and I would find it a little peculiar if there was!”

Danny Dyer won his first BAFTA this year, he’s succeeding in comedy more than ever and as a TV personality, as well as his podcast and own reality shows. “Even if it’s subconsciously, Danny Dyer being a royal makes them seem more accessible, more down to earth,” Jack says. “I want to see him on the throne, and that’s keeping the throne from being overthrown I think.”