How Are All the Once Upon a Time Characters Related?

If you’ve watched Once Upon a Time, you know the relationships between the characters are complicated, to say the least. It all centers around Henry Mills, who happens to be his own step-great-uncle. Want to know how? Keep reading, as we break down the complex and often confusing Once Upon a Time family tree.

OUAT Family Tree: A Visual Guide

The complex Once Upon a Time family tree centers on Henry Mills. Henry’s biological mother is Emma Swan, who is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Henry is also the adopted child of Regina, the Evil Queen, who is Snow White’s stepmother. Henry is related to many other characters through marriage.

Section 1 of 8:

Who is Henry Mills?

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Henry is the catalyst of the events of Once Upon a Time, as he discovers the residents of Storybrooke, Maine, are all fairytale characters who’ve been cursed to live in the real world and forget their true identities. Through a lot of complicated marriages and adoptions, he’s related to almost every important character in the show, so it’s easiest to base the family tree around his relationships.

Section 2 of 8:

Henry’s Parents

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Emma is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, who was sent to the real world for protection as a baby. She grew up in foster care and became pregnant with Henry. Because she was young and didn’t believe she could take care of a baby, she put him up for adoption. The two were later reunited when Henry tracked her down to help him break the curse on Storybrooke.^{[1]
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After Emma gave Henry up, he was adopted by Regina Mills, the mayor of Storybrooke, Maine. Regina is one of the only people who remembers her true identity—the Evil Queen—as she is the one who created the curse. By adopting Henry, she unknowingly helped fulfill the curse-breaking prophecy.^{[2]
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Neal Cassidy/Baelfire is Henry’s biological father. Emma Swan met Neal Cassidy in the real world when they were both trying to steal the same car. They quickly became partners in crime and fell in love, which resulted in Emma becoming pregnant with Henry. Neal then left Emma to protect her, not knowing she was carrying his child.
- Neal is also from the Enchanted Forest, though Emma is unaware. His true name is Baelfire.
In season 3 of Once Upon a Time, Emma and the crew travel to Neverland to save Henry, who has been kidnapped. There, she meets Killian Jones, also known as Captain Hook. The two initially butt heads, but they eventually fall in love and get married, making Killian Henry’s stepfather.^{[3]
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Regina falls in love with Robin Hood, though they never officially get married. Still, Tinker Bell’s pixie dust reveals that they are each other’s true love, so many consider Robin Hood to be Henry’s adoptive stepfather.

Section 3 of 8:

Henry’s Grandparents

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When we’re introduced to Mary Margaret, she is nothing more than Henry’s elementary school teacher. However, it’s later revealed that she is Snow White, who is Emma’s biological mother. This makes her Henry’s grandmother.^{[4]
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David Nolan is introduced as a man in a coma, whom Mary Margaret is inexplicably drawn to. This is because he’s actually Prince Charming, her husband in the Enchanted Forest. David is Emma’s biological father, making him Henry’s grandfather.^{[5]
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The Queen of Hearts is Regina’s mother, which makes her Henry’s adoptive grandmother. Before the events of Once Upon a Time, Cora was a miller’s daughter who married Prince Henry (whom our Henry is named after), but she had an affair with Rumplestiltskin.^{[6]
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Henry Mills Sr. is Cora’s husband and Regina’s father, making him Henry’s adoptive grandfather. Regina loved her father dearly, but sacrificed him to create the Dark Curse. She named her son after him.^{[7]
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Remember how Neal was actually from the fairy tale world? He’s revealed to be Baelfire, the son of Rumplestiltskin. In Storybrooke, Rumple is known as Mr. Gold, and he’s Henry’s biological grandfather.
In the Enchanted Forest, Rumplestiltskin was once married to Milah. Though Rumple loved Milah, she left him to be with Captain Hook. She is Baelfire’s mother, which makes her Henry’s grandmother.
In Once Upon a Time, Rumplestiltskin also fulfills the role of the Beast in Beauty and the Beast. He and Belle fall in love and eventually get married at the end of season 3. Therefore, Belle becomes Henry’s step-grandmother.^{[8]
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Killian Jones/Captain Hook is Henry’s step-paternal grandfather. Remember how Milah left Rumple for Captain Hook? While Milah and Hook never officially got married, they were totally and blissfully in love… until Rumple killed Milah. The couple likely would have stayed together otherwise, so we consider Killian to be Henry’s step-grandfather in addition to being his step-father.
- And because Hook is also Henry’s step-father, that makes Hook’s parents Henry’s step-grandparents as well. Confused yet?

Section 4 of 8:

Henry’s Great-Grandparents

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In addition to being Henry’s adoptive mother, Regina is also Snow White’s stepmother. Since Snow White is Henry’s biological grandmother, this makes Regina his step-great-grandmother, too.^{[9]
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As a reminder, Rumplestiltskin is Henry’s paternal grandfather. Even though Peter Pan appears to be a young boy, he was once a man who aged regularly. He also happens to be Rumplestiltskin’s father. Therefore, even though they’re almost the same age, Peter Pan is Henry’s great-grandfather.^{[10]
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The Black Fairy was married to Peter Pan, and together, they had a son—Rumplestiltskin. Because Rumplestiltskin is Henry’s biological grandfather, this makes the Black Fairy Henry’s great-grandmother.^{[11]
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Before he married Regina, King Leopold was married to Queen Eva, and together, they had a daughter—Snow White. Since Snow White is Henry’s maternal grandmother, King Leopold and Queen Eva are his great-grandparents.^{[12]
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Prince Charming’s parents were farmers named Ruth and Robert. Since Prince Charming is Henry’s maternal grandfather, his parents are Henry’s great-grandparents.
Henry’s grandfather David has a twin brother named James (we’ll explain more about him when we get to Henry’s aunts and uncles). King George adopts James and raises him as royalty. But when James dies, King George makes David take his place. In a way, this makes King George David’s adoptive father, which also makes him Henry’s adoptive great-grandfather.^{[13]
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Belle’s parents aren’t prominent characters in Once Upon a Time, but because she marries Henry’s grandfather, Rumplestiltskin, she becomes his step-grandmother. That makes her parents Henry’s step-great-grandparents.^{[14]
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Like Belle’s parents, Captain Hook’s parents aren’t prominent characters. But in addition to them being Henry’s step-grandparents (because Hook is his stepfather), they’re also kind of his step-great-grandparents because Hook was romantically involved with Milah, Henry’s paternal grandmother.^{[15]
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King Xavier is the father of Henry Mills Sr., Regina’s father. Because Regina is Henry’s adoptive mother, this makes King Xavier his adoptive great-grandfather. Then, because Regina is the stepmother to Henry’s biological grandmother, Mary Margaret, King Xavier is also his step-great-great-great-grandfather.^{[16]
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Section 5 of 8:

Henry’s Aunts & Uncles

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Because they never got to watch Emma grow up, Mary Margaret and David decide to have another kid. They name him Neal, after Baelfire. And because Neal is Emma’s brother, that makes him Henry’s uncle.^{[17]
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Like Mary Margaret and David, Rumplestiltskin also decides to have another child. He and Belle have a son named Gideon, and since Rumple is Henry’s grandfather, that makes Gideon Baelfire’s brother, and therefore, Henry’s uncle.^{[18]
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In season 3, it’s revealed that Regina has a half-sister named Zelena, who also happens to be the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. Regina and Zelena share the same mother, Cora, which makes Zelena Henry’s adoptive aunt.^{[19]
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Liam Jones is Killian Jones’s brother. Since Killian marries Emma, this makes Liam Henry’s step-uncle through marriage. Because Killian was also romantically involved with Milah, Baelfire’s mother, Liam could also be considered Henry’s step-great-uncle.^{[20]
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Prince James is David Nolan’s twin brother. Because David is Henry’s maternal grandfather, that makes James Henry’s maternal great-uncle.^{[21]
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Hope Swan-Jones is Henry’s half-sister (which we’ll explain when we get to Henry’s siblings), but she’s also his step-great-aunt. Since Emma is Snow White’s daughter and Snow White is Regina’s step-daughter, this makes Regina Emma’s step-grandmother. So, this makes Hope Henry’s step-great-aunt through marriage.
It sounds insane, but let us explain. Henry was adopted by Regina, who is Snow White’s stepmother. This makes Henry Snow White’s adoptive stepbrother. Because Snow White is Emma’s mother, Henry is his own mother’s step-uncle. Therefore, this makes him his own step-great-uncle.

Section 6 of 8:

Henry’s Siblings

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When Emma Swan and Killian Jones get married, they have a daughter named Hope. Since Hope and Henry share a mother but have different fathers, this makes them half-siblings.^{[22]
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Roland is the son of Robin Hood and his late wife Marian. While Robin Hood and Regina don’t officially get married, they are each other’s true love, so that makes Roland Henry’s unofficial adopted step-brother.^{[23]
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This doesn’t make them actually related, but it’s still worth mentioning. Baelfire is Henry’s father, and Killian Jones is Henry’s step-father. Because Baelfire’s mother, Milah, was romantically involved with Killian, both Baelfire and Henry had the same step-father (though at different times).
Mary Margaret is biologically Henry’s maternal grandmother. But, she’s also the step-daughter of Regina. Because Regina is Henry’s adoptive mother, this makes Mary Margaret his adopted step-sister.
As mentioned above, Mary Margaret is Henry’s adopted step-sister through Regina. Since Mary Margaret is married to David, that makes him Henry’s step-brother-in-law.

Section 7 of 8:

Henry’s Wife & Child

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Cinderella is Henry’s wife. The seventh and final season of Once Upon a Time follows Henry as an adult as he enters the New Enchanted Forest and encounters a new curse. This results in an alternate timeline, where some of the characters are different, including Cinderella, whom Henry ends up marrying.^{[24]
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- In the original Storybrooke timeline, Cinderella is a pregnant girl working at the diner. In season 7, Cinderella is an entirely different person (played by a different actor), also known as Jacinda. Jacinda is the Cinderella Henry marries.
This is one of the simplest branches on Henry’s family tree. When he and Cinderella get married, they have a daughter named Lucy. She’s essentially the catalyst for the events of season 7, just like Henry was the catalyst for season 1.^{[25]
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Section 8 of 8:

Henry’s Other Relatives

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Zelena’s daughter Robin is Henry’s cousin. Zelena is Regina’s sister, so she’s Henry’s adoptive aunt. Zelena has a daughter named Robin, so Robin and Henry are adoptive cousins.
- This relationship may seem pretty straightforward, but it gets more complex because Robin Hood is Robin’s father. This would kind of make Robin Henry’s adoptive stepsister, as well.
Let’s see if you can keep up with this one. Emma is Henry’s biological mother, and she’s also the daughter of Snow White. Snow White is Regina’s step-daughter, which also makes Snow Henry’s adopted step-sister. Because they’re kind of siblings, that means Emma is kind of Henry’s niece in addition to being his mother.
If you’re confused, reread the step about Emma being Henry’s step-niece. Since Killian is married to Emma, that would also make him kind of Henry’s nephew-in-law in addition to being his step-father.
Hope is biologically Henry’s half-sister, which makes her Mary Margaret’s granddaughter. However, because Henry and Mary Margaret are technically adoptive step-siblings, that makes Emma Henry’s niece. And because Emma is Henry’s niece, that makes her daughter his adoptive great-niece.
Neal Nolan is the son of Henry’s grandparents, Mary Margaret and David, which makes him Henry’s uncle. But because Henry was adopted by Regina, and Regina is Mary Margaret’s stepmother, that makes Neal Henry’s adoptive step-nephew, as Henry and Mary Margaret are technically adopted step-siblings.

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There are a few other complex relationships, like the fact that Emma was briefly raised by the Snow Queen, who is also the aunt of Anna and Elsa from Frozen, but because these relationships were brief or not a large part of the plot, we’ve elected to focus on characters and relationships that largely impacted Henry.

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