Henrik Lenkait, a 47-year-old German, discovered that his maternal biological grandfather is Heinrich Himmler - a leading figure in the Nazi regime and a central figure responsible for the genocide of European Jews.
He revealed the shocking discovery for the first time in an interview with Sky News.
Lenkait said it all began while watching a documentary about Nazi Germany, which led him to conduct an online search. During the search, he came across a photograph of his grandmother, Hedwig Pothast, with a caption stating that she had been Himmler's mistress. "She was a friendly person. I've never thought she could be the mistress of a mass murderer. Knowing that, of course, was a shock."
Further research showed that Himmler was his mother's biological father - and thus his direct grandfather. He was shocked to learn of the link. "Who am I? Who was I? Why wasn't I told the truth for 47 years?" he says. "After 47 years, my life was like a lie."
During the interview, Lenkait was asked whether the genetic link to Himmler frightens him. "You ask yourself, 'What is my inheritance from that? I believe my parents hid it from me to protect me." Despite the difficulty, he emphasizes that he bears no responsibility for his grandfather's actions, but he asks forgiveness on his grandfather's behalf from the victims of the Nazi regime.
Himmler, who served as head of the SS, head of the Gestapo, and Reich interior minister, is regarded as one of the central figures in leading the Final Solution. He was captured by the British and committed suicide on May 23, 1945, without being tried for his crimes. "Yeah, Hitler's deputy and grandfather. He is my grandfather. I can't do anything about that," Lenkait concluded.