Royal surprise: 'Britain's real monarch' gets King Charles' coronation invitation

Australia's Simon Abney-Hastings, 15th Earl of Loudoun, is set to attend the coronation of King Charles III in Westminster Abbey on May 6. While Abney-Hastings may seem an unlikely candidate for such a prestigious invitation, he is, in fact, the only person, aside from those in the line of succession, who could potentially have a claim on the throne, news agency AFP reported on Sunday. 

This surprising fact is based on the research of British medieval historian Michael Jones, who uncovered a document in Rouen Cathedral in France two decades ago that according to him proves King Edward IV was illegitimate. 

According to Jones, during the five weeks when Edward might have been conceived, his father, Richard of York, was actually 160 kilometres away from his wife, Cecily Neville - Duchess of York. Jones has argued that because of this, Edward was not the rightful heir to the throne, and the line of succession should have gone to Edward's younger brother George, Duke of Clarence, who is a direct ancestor of Abney-Hastings.

While Abney-Hastings' family does not possess any lands or stately homes in the UK, they inherited the ancient Scottish title of Earl of Loudoun due to their lineage. Abney-Hastings' father Michael emigrated from the UK to Australia in 1960, and he inherited the title from his mother, the 13th Countess of Loudoun, in 2002. Simon Abney-Hastings, 48, was then named the 15th earl following his father's death in 2012.

Abney-Hastings is set to carry out ceremonial roles during the coronation, largely due to his ancestors' involvement in previous coronations. The Earls of Loudoun have traditionally been the bearers of the golden spurs, which signify the monarch's role as head of the armed forces. While in previous centuries, the spurs were attached to the new sovereign's feet, in more recent times, they are just ceremonially touched to the heels of the monarch before being placed on the altar.

The Rouen cathedral discovery came as a shock to the Abney-Hastings family nearly 20 years ago. During a visit by a British documentary team for the 2004 programme "Britain's Real Monarch", Michael Abney-Hastings was told 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".

Despite historians believing that Abney-Hastings may have the right to inherit the throne, he has never held this view, according to his lawyer and private secretary, Terence Guthridge. In fact, he has always been a "loyal and staunch supporter" of both Queen Elizabeth II and her son. They exchange birthday or Christmas cards every year, Guthridge added.

Abney-Hastings' invitation to the coronation highlights the complexities and uncertainties of the English monarchy's history and succession. While Abney-Hastings does not intend to press any claim to the throne, his attendance at the coronation is a reminder of the rich and intriguing history of the British monarchy.

(With inputs from AFP)

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