The Strange Connection Princess Diana And King Charles Have To Armie Hammer

Most people first discovered Armie Hammer when he starred in films such as "The Social Network," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," and "Call Me by Your Name" (per IMDb). The 6'5" actor has been in the public eye for all the wrong reasons over the last few years, however, going through a tumultuous divorce and having multiple women accuse him of everything from sexual assault and emotional abuse to illegal drug use and fantasizing about cannibalism (per Newsweek).

Even before he became famous (and infamous), Hammer was already worth more than you might think, thanks to being born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He is the great-grandson of oil tycoon Armand Hammer, who ran Occidental Petroleum from 1957 until his death (per Britannica) — and quite possibly was a Russian Spy (per CNN). Celebrity Net Worth calculates that when Armand died in 1990, he was worth $800 million, or around $1.6 billion in today's dollars.

It is because of Armand that Armie has a connection to King Charles III and the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

The three-episode docuseries "House of Hammer" began airing on September 2. It delves into the many allegations against Armie Hammer, along with the long history of abuse within his family, especially by great-grandfather Armand Hammer.

The series portrays Armand as a cold and controlling social climber. "I think he was the most satanic man of the second half of the 20th Century," journalist Neil Lyndon, co-writer of Armand's autobiography, said in the series. "In terms of corrupting the political process, in terms of controlling people, and making them dance his tune, there is no comparison."

Armand enjoyed cozying up to powerful people such as British royalty and American presidents. Royal biographer Anthony Holden wrote in The Guardian in 2003 that King Charles III "succumbed to the blandishments of the late Armand Hammer in return for huge donations to his causes. Charles even wanted to make Hammer godfather to Prince William, until his more worldly wife exercised an indignant veto."

The Sydney Morning Herald reported in 2003 that Armand donated over $40 million to Charles' causes in the 1970s and 1980s, also giving expensive presents to Charles and his wife at the time, Diana, Princess of Wales. The newspaper quoted Lyndon: "Prince Charles effectively prostituted his royal standing in return for tens of millions of dollars in charitable donations from Hammer."

Footage of Charles and Diana pops up multiple times throughout "House of Hammer."