How much for royal blood?

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by Purple Haze

A fair case can be made that Simon Abney-Hastings, 15th Earl of Loudoun is the rightful king of England. He is certainly heir-general of George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence.

The claim for Abney-Hastings ignores the right of conquest by Henry Tudor. But it depends on the right of conquest by William of Normandy. Either

• right of conquest is valid, in which case the William III was the rightful king, the Act of Settlement is valid, and Elizabeth II is the rightful king, or
• right of conquest is not valid, in which case William I was not rightful, no descent from him conveys legitimacy, and Edgar Atheling was the last rightful king of England.

Besides which, the claim for Abney-Hastings depends on the assumption that Edward IV was conceived in adultery (which is speculative) and the misconception that false paternity makes a child illegitimate in law (which is incorrect: the common law of England is that the children of a married woman are the legitimate children and rightful heirs of her husband).

Nice bloke. Not king of England.

So there are a few dozen Plantagenets with "royal blood". The Tudors tried very hard to wipe them all out.

Besides the Earls of Loudon there are the dukes of Beaufort.