Will Young gets new tattoo after startling discovery about his grandfather

Daily Mirror

26-05-2025

After finding out his royal relation, former Pop Idol winner Will Young, 46, cried: "You are joking? You have made it up. That's unbelievable. This is just amazing. I cannot believe it. It is wonderful"
Will Young has traced his family tree back to the 14th century and discovered he has a distant relative in the royal family. The former Pop Idol winner discovers Edward I is his 20 times great grandfather on BBC 's Who Do You Think You Are?
The 14 century royal ruled from 1272 to 1307. King Edward I had a granddaughter Eleanor de Clare who was married to the Hugh Le Despenser whose story features more heavily in the show.
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After finding out his royal relation, Will, 46, says: 'No? Edward the First! No? You are joking? You have made it up. That's unbelievable. This is just amazing. I cannot believe it. It is wonderful.
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'Being related to a king, will it change my behaviour? I mean the short answer is Yes.
'What you are beholding is essentially a future despot. You see Mr Nice Guy. Now get ready for Mr Nasty.'
The revelation comes at the end of the episode after Will has been learning about his 18 times great grandfather was someone called Hugh Le Despenser. He is regarded as one of the most important but controversial political figures of the 14 th century.
Hugh and wife Eleanor de Clare were nobles during Edward II's reign. Eleanor's mum was Joan of Acre, The Countess of Hertford and Gloucester.
And her parents were King Edward I and his first wife Eleanor of Castile. This makes Eleanor de Clare the granddaughter of King Edward I.
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Hugh was a key player and manipulator using nefarious means at the king's court. In 1318 he was appointed the King's Chamberlain and became known as someone who was evil and greedy. No one could approach the king without his say-so.
Many thought he controlled Edward as he 'had his ear' and exploited the power he had been given and usually he made visitors give him large gifts to gain access to the royal.
Although everyone else hated Hugh, the king loved him and called him 'a favourite'.
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After England was invaded in 1326 Hugh ended up being captured and beheaded.
Will said: 'I don't think he deserves it from me but I might offer up an apology to the people that he harmed. So I have an 18 times great grandfather and I didn't know I was related to him and he is so well known in late medieval history as being an evil person.
'He changed the shape and direction of the country during his time. I suppose that counts for something. At least he made his mark. I have learned about a man who has done horrific things in his life yet through his wife's connections in her family, they are kind of erasing history in a way like.. yeah it's alright you can still have a tomb. It is almost propaganda isn't it?'
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Will also learns more about some family members from much more recent times and is especially proud of his grandfather.
He knew that Digby Young was a prisoner of war during the Second World War, after moving from Australia, but did not know many details of his life before taking part as he died before Will was born.
Digby joined the RAF full time aged 23 and took part in World War Two.
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Young discovers that Digby, a bomber pilot, was hit by fire and suffered engine failure, survived and was taken as a prisoner to the Luftwaffe-run camp, Stalag Luft III, in German-occupied Poland.
As the war ended, the British servicemen were marched in winter, and when a Nazi guard got frostbite, Digby used 'alcohol and a few kitchen knives' for an amputation, according to a fellow PoW's account.
Young said his grandfather saving the life of his captor, makes him a 'very remarkable man', adding: 'There is a sadness that comes with it, is that I think he was perceived as a bit of a loser after the war, by some of the family, this is the proper telling of a really decent man.'
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'An extraordinary man, I don't think has passed down to me through my father, and hasn't for my father,' he also said, breaking down.
'So this means so much to me and my dad, sorry, I feel quite emotional about it.'
Young also said he feels 'like (family) history has been a bit unkind to him, so it's nice that history is being kind'.
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His grandfather escaped because the Russian head of a camp 'liked his liquor', and was bribed with a Rolex watch, and Digby was able to take off with a friend on a bike to where the American soldiers were.
After the war, he was a Squadron Leader flying jets, which Young says 'makes me really happy, because I think he really did find his vocation'.
'It's completely not how I saw him at all,' he added. 'I didn't know he went on to do any of this.'
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'Now I feel like I've got another grandfather,' he added. 'I didn't feel like I had a right, really, to claim another grandfather, because I didn't know him.
'All he was was a picture and an early death, of which it was potentially quite sad circumstances. And now the picture and the death is not even part of his story.'
Later he shared that he got a tattoo of a plane and Digby's squadron number to remember him.
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He says: 'I have tattoos all over my body and a lot of them are related to family members and I wanted to get a tattoo for Digby so I got his plane and his squadron number. What's lovely is that it is next to my first tattoo I ever had.. the first tattoo I ever had… the Young motto 'Sans Peur' which means without fear and I think Digby certainly showed no fear. So thank you so much.'
Summing up his experience, Will said: 'I am not joking but this experience has been one of the most eye opening and fulfillingm and soul nourishing experiences I have ever had. I didn't expect it.
My 20 times great grandfather was Edward I. That's just bonkers.
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And then we move to the man, the myth, the legend, the horror that is Hugh Le Dispenser who is just an absolute monster of a man.
And then my grandfather was an amazing and emotional man. He was such a dude and that's a real gift.'
Young has scored four UK number one singles and four UK number one albums since winning Pop Idol during its inaugural series in 2002.