The son of an Australian farmer, Simon Abney-Hastings, 48, may seem like an unexpected guest for the coronation of Charles III. However, he will be the only one in attendance at Westminster Abbey to have any reason to think of disputing his title with the king.
It all starts with the contested research of a British medieval historian, Michael Jones.
About twenty years ago, he discovered a document in the cathedral of Rouen which in his eyes proves that King Edward IV (who reigned from 1461 to 1483) was illegitimate. This thesis is controversial.
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According to the historian, during the five weeks Edward was supposedly conceived, his father was actually 100 miles away from his wife Cecily Neville, Duchess of York.
Therefore, argues the medievalist, Edward was not the true heir to the throne and the line of succession should have passed through George, younger brother of Edward, Duke of Clarence, direct ancestor of Simon Abney-Hastings.
golden spurs
While the family does not own any land or stately home in the UK, due to their lineage they have inherited the Scottish title of Earl of Loudoun.
Simon Abney-Hastings’ father, Michael, left the UK for Australia in 1960.
Michael inherited the title from his mother, the 13th Countess of Loudoun in 2002 and passed it on her death in 2012 to Simon, who is the 15th Earl.
In recognition of the family’s heritage, Simon Abney-Hastings is among thirteen guests at the coronation as there is evidence that their ancestors played a special role at previous coronations.
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On Twitter, the earl said he was “delighted and sincerely honored” to have been asked to play the same role as his ancestors on May 6.
By tradition, the Counts of Loudoun have worn golden spurs since the 12th century during coronations. Made of gold, leather and velvet, these represent the role of the monarch as head of the armed forces.
They are presented to him during the ceremony. In the past, spurs were attached to the feet of the new monarch. More recently, they are simply worn up to the sovereign’s heels before being placed on the altar.
“Michael I”
The unexpected implications of the find at Rouen Cathedral were brought to the attention of the Abney-Hastings family twenty years ago.
The documentary crew visited Michael Abney-Hastings at his home in Australia in 2004 for a program called “Britain’s New Monarch”.
The family thus learned that new research supported that Edward IV was illegitimate, meaning that he was “the true King of England”.
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Michael Abney-Hastings replied that he knew of a “distant connection to the royal Plantagenet dynasty but said he was ‘shocked’ to learn he could have been King Michael I.
Based in Australia, the country of which he is a national, Simon Abney-Hastings does not seem to have any claims, his lawyer and private secretary Terence Guthridge told AFP.
He has always been an “ardent and loyal support” of Queen Elizabeth II and her son: “They send each other birthday or Christmas cards every year”.