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Hamilton Star Anthony Ramos Discovers He Is A Royalty On Finding Your Roots; Learns His Ancestor Was An Enslaved Person
Beyond his newfound royal lineage, Ramos has long celebrated his Latino heritage. Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1991, he has always been vocal about his pride in his Latin roots.
In a mind-boggling discovery, Anthony Ramos on Tuesday learned that he is royalty, all thanks to PBS’ docu-series Finding Your Roots, which uses genealogical research and genetics to trace the family history of its guests.
During this week’s episode, host and educator Henry Louis Gates, Jr. revealed to the actor that his 15th great-grandfather, a Guanche enslaved man named Andrés se LIerena, married Maria se Lugo, the daughter of the King of Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands. A statue of Ramos’ royal ancestor still stands on Tenerife to this day. Here's how Ramos reacted to the news.
Anthony Ramos finds out he is royalty on Finding Your Roots
After informing the Hamilton actor about his royal lineage, Henry Louis Gates Jr. asked him, “Do you ever feel like a prince?”
Ramos quipped in response, “Yo ma, you hear that? I’m a prince. My dog’s name is Prince.”
Looking at the picture of the aforementioned statue of his royal ancestor, Ramos playfully added, “The Man was ripped, I’m not gonna lie. He was in good shape. Some good genes hopefully. You know what I’m saying? Could put some pants on. Wow.” 
Providing a timeline of Ramos’ ancestor’s existence, Gates Jr. explained that he lived on Tenerife and ruled the indigenous people long before the Spaniards conquered the island in 1946. Furthermore, he noted that though the researchers could not narrow down on how long de LIerena was enslaved, they “believe it was for at least 10 years.”
“That's a long time to be a slave man,” the A Star is Born actor responded.
Ramos has always waived his Latino heritage flag high
Ramos, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1991, has always been proud of his Latin heritage. During a 2021 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he recalled being advised to not “be in the ‘Latino box.’”
In 2016, the Hamilton actor made headlines by waving a Puerto Rican flag on the Grammys stage when the musical drama won the award for Best Musical Theater Album. Ramos is originally from Puerto Rico.
In 2022, ahead of an NHL camping for Latin Heritage Month, Ramos told People, “It's important to celebrate [Latino culture] because it's also remembering and paying respect and homage to our ancestors that came before us.”
“That's the DNA inside of us. That's the thing that gets us moving,” he added.
On the work front, Ramos will next be seen in Mattel’s Bob the Builder movie produced by Jennifer Lopez.
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