An Australian earl is off to the coronation. Some say he should be on the throne

When King Charles is crowned in Westminster Abbey next month, one aristocrat granted a ceremonial role at the coronation may be pondering whether he should be the one sitting on the throne.

The Coronation Claims Office has confirmed the 15th Earl of Loudoun, Simon Abney-Hastings, is among those who have proven their historic and hereditary right to attend the ceremony.

The Earl of Loudon Simon Abney-Hastings. Credit: Twitter

He is one of 13 peers and organisations whose online application was successful, from more than 200 received. Applicants were asked to provide evidence they were direct descendants of those who had performed similar roles at previous coronations.

Roles under consideration largely involve the bearing of specific items such as a white wand, the Great Gold Spurs, or the Orb, or Sceptre.

But according to one theory, the Earl of Loudoun, a 48-year-old Australian, could be the rightful king.

Some 20 years ago, Dr Michael Jones, a medieval historian, uncovered a document in Rouen Cathedral which he said proved Edward IV was illegitimate and not the rightful heir to the throne.

He unearthed records of the 100 Years’ War in France that show Richard, Duke of York, could not have sired Edward because he was 100 miles away from his wife, Cecily Neville, the Duchess of York, during the five weeks when Edward could have been conceived.

A Channel 4 documentary, Britain’s Real Monarch, instead suggested an archer was the real father, and as a result, the line of succession should have gone through Edward’s younger brother George, Duke of Clarence.

The 2004 program, based on Dr Jones’s book Bosworth 1485: Psychology of a Battle, claims George’s direct descendants, the earls of Loudoun, had a claim to the throne as a result. The earldom, named after Loudoun in Ayrshire, is one of Scotland’s oldest titles.

The Channel 4 documentary was presented by Sir Tony Robinson, and when confronted at home in NSW by Sir Tony, the late 14th Earl of Loudoun, who moved to Australia at 18 to work as a ranch hand, was surprised by the claims.

Mike Abney-Hastings, a republican and naturalised Australian, replied “Strewth!” when told he may have missed out on being king.

He later admitted the more he watched the documentary “the more I’m convinced they are right and I probably should be the king”. When the 14th Earl died aged 69 in 2012, his eldest son Simon, took the title.

Dr Jones told London’s The Sunday Telegraph: “I’m glad Simon will be attending the coronation. He has every right to be there. If you accept the charge made by some at that time, including some of his family, that Edward IV was illegitimate then the Earl of Loudoun could be king.”

Numerous historians have rejected the claims made by Jones.

The current Earl seems in no hurry to press his claim either. He told Australia’s Daily Telegraph his family’s motto is “I Byde My Tyme”, adding: “Given the Abney-Hastings have had to wait six centuries to stake any claim, a little longer won’t make much difference.”

Oliver Dowden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said of the Coronation roles: “These roles are steeped in history – in some cases dating back 800 years – so it will be wonderful to see these centuries-old traditions played out on Coronation Day.

“Those given roles will be at the heart of this historic ceremony, but of course, the entire nation will have its part to play in events up and down the country, in what promises to be a weekend to remember.”

The Telegraph, London

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