If you were alive during the 2000s, then you're aware of the cinematic masterpiece that is The Princess Diaries. Starring a young Anne Hathaway and always elegant Julie Andrews, a normal teen learns she is (fictional) royalty — something we all grew to dream would happen to us. Well, we might not be Mia Thermopolis, PrinCESS of Genovia, but David Howe basically is. Starring in the new TLC show Suddenly Royal , Howe and his family learn that he is royal and embark on a journey to their true "homeland" in hopes of being accepted by those that live in the British Isle of Man.
If you've done an ancestry lineage before, you might have secretly crossed your fingers hoping to see that you're somehow Kate's second cousin that no one knew about. While he's not Duchess Kate's relative, David is related to the small island's royal family, which quickly catapulted him into probably the coolest life story ever. All of Howe's royal findings occurred in 2008, and now, with his family, David is exploring the Isle of Man and what it means to be royalty; it's truly a fish-out-of-water experience and it's sure to be hilarious (and unbelievable).
Here's everything you need to know about the Howe Family.
There Are Three Of Them
Meet the Howes. David, his wife Pam, and their daughter Grace.
This Is Basically Princess Diaries
Seriously, call Julie Andrews because this is amazing. David was innocently tracking his lineage online (see, that Ancestry.com fee is worth it) and learned that he is a relative to the royal family of the British Isle of Man. Now, David and family have to learn what it means to "be royal" and if I can give them any hints — wave and say "Thank you for being here," don't fist bump someone.
David Was An Auto Repairman
David was a pretty average guy before learning he was royal. From Fredrick, Maryland, David "Drew" Howe was an auto repairman before becoming King.
The Family Hasn't Been Widely Accepted
Unsurprisingly, this royal realization has not come without issues. "The people were mean to me," David says in a clip, "Even though officially I'm the king, that doesn't really mean anything unless we can win the people of the Isle of Man." Because the Howes are American, there seems to be some hesitance by some of the people of the Isle of Man.
Whether the Howe Family is accepted by the Isle of Man, we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime...
Images: screengrab/TLC; Giphy (2)
