Darling of Playboy is Kate Middleton's Cousin (Photo : Playboy.com)

Kate Middleton's cousin Katrina Darling will appear on the cover of Playboy's September issue and discovers she is related to the Duchess.

Kate Middleton (Princess Catherine and Duchess of Cambridge) has been the talk of tinsel town for quite some time now. However, it seems like the British beauty may have to give up her hotspot position for a little while as cousin Katrina Darling graces the cover of the September issue of Playboy. Darling is 22-year-old burlesque dancer from Newcastle.

It came as a surprise to Darling that she was related to the Duchess of Cambridge. She found out about this after the press came to her asking for details of Prince William's wedding. Darling is Middleton's second cousin (one of Darling's grandmothers was the sister of Middleton's great-grandfather Thomas Harrison).

Darling strips down to black lingerie for the cover of Playboy. The magazine also features an eight-page spread of Darling. According to reports, Darling has been paid a six-figure sum for the shoot. The magazine will hit newsstands and be available for download August 17.

Darling doesn't need the Royal connection to boost her career and London's Daily Mail reports that Darling hasn't tried to contact her cousin or otherwise take advantage of her now-royal family ties.

"It was the most ridiculous thing I ever heard," she told Playboy of finding out she was related to possible future Queen of Great Britain. "It's not every day something like that happens."

Darling told Playboy, "burlesque is a platform for me to explore these kinds of things."

An excited Darling tweeted late last week, "counting the days for Playboy to come out!"

Darling has been travelling the performance stages and cabaret clubs throughout Europe and now America. She has upcoming shows in South Beach, Fla., and New York City.

Like Us on Facebook