Outlander introduced William as a main character for season 7
Outlander stars have been loving the arrival of Jamie's illegitimate son William Ransom in season seven. The British soldier, who is played by Charles Vandervaart, is the son of Jamie and Geneva Dunsany, but has been raised to believe that Lord John Grey is his father, and that he is the heir to Ludovic Ransom, Eighth Earl of Ellesmere. So the big question is, is William ever going to find out about his true parentage?
Warning, spoiler alert for the novels ahead.
In short, yes! Despite Jamie and his family being sworn never to tell William the truth about his parentage, the youngster still works it out – with the revelation taking place in the seventh novel An Echo in the Bone. Since we're currently on season seven, this could mean that the revelation happens in the next few episodes – we'll have to stay tuned to find out!
In the novels, William finally realises that Jamie is his biological father after meeting him. While John is helping Jamie, they are seen by William who finally makes the connection, and Jamie confirms the truth of his suspicions.
William is initially furious, particularly at his adoptive father Lord John Grey for keeping the truth a secret and realising that he isn't technically the heir of the Earl of Ellesmere title. By Diana Gabaldon's latest Outlander novel, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, William is still dealing with the truth of his parentage.
MORE: Outlander season 7: everything you need to know about the story so far
READ: Outlander's Sam Heughan throwback photo from his 20s will leave you lost for words
However, William does appear in Outlander as a teenager in season four, where he overhears Jamie claiming that he is his father, but believes that Jamie is lying to help him out of a tricky situation. Speaking about whether William was suspicious, Sam told Pop Sugar: "The stuff with Willie, for me and for Jamie, was really interesting stuff, to see where that relationship has gone to and developed." He added that there may have been "an awakening in Willie as to who his father might actually be".
He continued: "I was always looking forward to John Grey coming back, [and] I was definitely looking forward to those scenes. [David Berry and Oliver Finnegan] are great actors as well, so it was a nice side story for Jamie and Claire this season."
Chatting to Town and Country about joining the cast, Charles said: "It's such a massive show and such a lovely fan base. But I've been met with nothing but love so far. I'm not even on screen yet, and the fans have been so generous. We got a good casting crew, a great casting crew here, so we're all a good family now."
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