Emmelie de Forest

Birth Name: Emmelie Charlotte-Victoria de Forest

Place of Birth: Randers, Denmark

Date of Birth: 28 February, 1993

Ethnicity: Danish, Swedish, small amounts of English, French, Ashkenazi Jewish, distant German/Frisian

Emmelie de Forest is a Danish singer and songwriter. For Denmark, she won the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden, with the song “Only Teardrops.”

Emmelie was born in Randers, Denmark. Her mother, Marianna Birgitte Gudnitz, is Danish. Her father, Ingvar Engström, who later changed his surname to De Forest, was from Sweden. Following her parents’ divorce when she was young, she grew up with her mother in Mariager, Denmark, and in Stockholm.

A MyHeritage DNA test taken by Emmelie stated that her genetic ancestry is:

*44.4% North and West European
*38.2% Scandinavian
*12.2% Balkan
*5.2% Ashkenazi Jewish

She had said that she was a descendant of Edward VII of the United Kingdom. This is not accurate.

Emmelie’s biological paternal grandfather evidently was Maurice Arnold de Forest, Count of Bendern. Maurice was born in 78 rue Legendre, Paris, Paris, Île-de-France, France, and is usually believed to be the biological son of Edward Deforest/de Forest and Juliette Arnold. The couple were American, from New York, and worked with circuses in France; Edward was a circus performer. Maurice and his brother Raymond were adopted by Baroness Clara/Claire (Bischoffsheim) de Hirsch and Baron Maurice de Hirsch, who were Jewish. The siblings were also sometimes said to be the Baron’s biological children. Maurice was given the name de Forest-Bischoffsheim. He was raised in France, and was a prominent motor racing driver, aviator, and politician.

Emmelie’s paternal grandmother was Irma Paula Margareta Engström (the daughter of Frans Henry Engström and Paulina Georgina Söderhielm). Irma was born in Ruokolahti, Finland, to Swedish parents. Frans was the son of Anders Petter Engström and Maria Katarina Amalia Klaesson. Emmelie’s great-grandmother Paulina was the daughter of Georg Fredrik Söderhielm and Emma Leontina Pehrsson. Emmelie’s Klaesson (originally Claassen) line originates in Heligoland, Germany, with her fourth great-grandfather, Claes Claassen, who, given his birth place and surname, was likely Frisian.

Emmelie’s maternal grandfather was Knud Gudnitz (the son of an unknown father and Antonie Anna Sophie Qvist Høyer). Knud was born in Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark. Antonie was the daughter of Frederik Ferdinand Gudnitz and Antonie Vilhelmine Worck.

Emelie’s maternal grandmother was Karen Marie Jensen (the daughter of Søren Christian Jensen and Ane Johanne Sørine Sørensen). Karen was born in Falslev, Denmark. Søren was the son of Jens Jensen and Johanne Marie Sørensen. Ane was the daughter of Christen Sørensen and Karen Marie Pedersen.

Sources: Genealogy of Emmelie de Forest – http://www.geni.com

Information about Emmelie’s paternal grandfather, Maurice Arnold de Forest, Count of Bendern – http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.ca