Simon Abney-Hastings, the 15th Earl of Loudoun, has been invited to attend the coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey. He is the one person outside the line of succession who could potentially have a claim to the throne.

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This unlikely scenario is based on research by British medieval historian Michael Jones, who uncovered a document in Rouen cathedral in France two decades ago, proving that King Edward IV was illegitimate. Jones argues that Edward was not the rightful heir to the throne and that the line of succession should have gone through his younger brother George, Duke of Clarence, who is a direct ancestor of Abney-Hastings.

Who is Simon Abney-Hastings?
The earls of Loudoun have traditionally played ceremonial roles at previous coronations, and Simon Abney-Hastings is one of just 13 individuals carrying out such roles this year. The family inherited the ancient Scottish title of Earl of Loudoun, but they do not possess any lands or stately homes in the UK.

Abney-Hastings’ father, Michael, emigrated from the UK to Australia in 1960. He inherited the title from his mother, the 13th Countess of Loudoun, in 2002 and passed it on to Simon after his death in 2012. In recognition of the family’s heritage, Simon Abney-Hastings, who lives in Wangaratta, Australia, is now set to perform the same ceremonial role as his ancestors on May 6, carrying the golden spurs that have been borne by the earls of Loudoun since the 12th century.

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While historians might believe that Abney-Hastings has the right to inherit the throne, his lawyer and private secretary, Terence Guthridge, says that the earl has never held this view. In fact, he has always been a loyal supporter of both Queen Elizabeth II and her son, and they exchange birthday or Christmas cards every year.

Although Abney-Hastings appears to have no plans to press any claim to the throne, the implications of the Rouen cathedral discovery are surprising. When a British documentary team visited Michael Abney-Hastings at his home in Australia for the 2004 programme Britain’s Real Monarch, they told him that new research pointed to Edward IV being illegitimate, which “means that you are the rightful king of England”. Abney-Hastings responded that he had been aware of a “distant” link to the Plantagenet royal dynasty but confessed that the news that he might have been King Michael I was “a bit of a shock”.