‘Rightful king of England’ dies in Australia

It was therefore proposed that Abney-Hastings, the direct descendant of George
Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence and brother of Edward IV, should be the
rightful King.

When the claim was raised with Abney-Hastings at his farm in Jerilderie, he
said he had been elected to the local shire council and would prefer to
focus on his duties as councillor.

“When they told me I was surprised all right,” he said. “But I
don’t think it will worry us too much. Titles don’t mean much out here and I
have no intention of leaving Jerilderie … Why would you want to be King
anyway? They can’t do anything without someone on their back.”

Abney-Hastings, who was 69, was widowed but has several children. He once
joked that his eldest son would have to wait until he died before pressing a
claim to the throne.

“He’ll have to wait,” he said. “It’s not available till I go.”

He had been battling a debilitating illness and had been in and out of
hospital in the lead-up to his death on Saturday.

Though he did not budge from his support for Australia to become a republic,
he did once note that his friends and family stood up and broke into God
Save the King at a Christmas dinner shortly after the documentary was
broadcast.

The new potential heir to the throne, Simon Abney-Hastings, the 15th Earl of
Loudon, is a 37-year-old bachelor who works for a fabrics company in the
town of Wangaratta, about 140 miles from Melbourne. He said he was aware he
was “possibly” the rightful king but would prefer not to take the
throne.

“I have always known about this – I have lived it,” he said. “It
does make you think about how things could be different. I am quite happy
with how things have turned out. I have made my own life.”

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