‘Britain’s true monarch’ receives invitation to coronation from King Charles | World News

The son of a farm worker in the Australian outback, Simon Abney-Hastings is an unlikely invite to King Charles III’s coronation.

But when he takes his seat at Westminster Abbey next week, he will be the only real claimant other than the heir apparent to the throne.

While it seems unlikely, the scene is based on research by English medieval historian Michael Jones.

Twenty years ago, he discovered a document in France’s Rouen Cathedral that he said proved King Edward IV was an illegitimate child.

According to Jones, five weeks into Edward’s possible pregnancy, his father Richard of York was actually 160 kilometers (100 miles) away from his wife, Cecily Neville, Duchess of York.

Jones therefore argued that Edward was not the rightful heir to the throne and that succession should have gone to Edward’s younger brother, George, Duke of Clarence, who was a direct ancestor of Abney-Hastings.

– Golden Spurs –

Although the family does not own any land or mansions in the UK, by virtue of their blood they inherit the ancient Scottish title of Earls of Loudoun.

Abney-Hastings’ father, Michael, immigrated to Australia from England in 1960.

Michael inherited the title from his mother, 13th Countess of Loudon in 2002 and passed the title to Simon, 15th Earl, after her death in 2012.

Simon Abney-Hastings, 48, was one of just 13 people to take on ceremonial roles, largely because they managed to prove their ancestry at previous coronations A special role was played to honor the family tradition.

The current earl said on Twitter that he was “delighted and sincerely honored” to be asked to play the same role as his ancestor on May 6.

As early as the 12th century, the Earl of Loudoun was traditionally the bearer of the Golden Spur.

In earlier centuries, spurs – symbolizing the monarch’s role as head of the armed forces – were fastened to the feet of new monarchs.

In more recent times, they were only ceremonially touched to the heels of the sovereign before being placed on the altar.

– ‘King Michael I’ –

The surprising significance of the discovery of Rouen Cathedral stunned the Abney-Hastings family nearly 20 years ago.

A British documentary team visited the home of an unsuspecting Michael Abney-Hastings in Australia in 2004’s “Britain’s Real Monarch”.

Much to the amusement of his family, they were told new research showed Edward IV was illegitimate, which “means you are the rightful king of England”.

Abney-Hastings responded by saying he knew he had “distant” connections to the Plantagenets, but admitted the news that he could be King Michael I was “a bit of a shock”.

Simon, an Australian who lives in Wangaratta in the south-east state of Victoria, does not appear to have plans to make any claims.

His lawyer and private secretary, Terrence Guthridge, told AFP that while historians may have argued he was entitled to the throne, the 15th earl “never held that view”.

In fact, he said, he has been a “loyal and staunch supporter” of Queen Elizabeth II and her son.

“In fact, they exchange birthday cards or Christmas cards every year,” he added.