Michael Abney-Hastings, 14th Earl of Loudoun
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Michael Edward Abney-Hastings, 14th Earl of Loudoun (born 1942) is an British-born Australian rice researcher. He lives in Jerilderie, New South Wales, after moving there in the 1960s. He is the son of Barbara Abney-Hastings, 13th Countess of Loudoun, and succeeded her as Earl of Loudoun in 2002.
Lord Loudoun is the heir-general of George, Duke of Clarence. In 2004, a documentary broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom claimed that King Edward IV of England was biologically illegitimate, and therefore that Lord Loudoun is the rightful King of England (and thus also Australia). This claim is highly dubious for a number of reasons, including the questionable nature of the evidence of Edward's supposed illegitimacy; the fact that Edward's biological legitimacy does not effect his legal status as son and heir to Richard, Duke of York; the fact that the claims of King Henry VII to the English throne were based upon his Lancastrian descent and the right of conquest, rather than his marriage to Edward IV's eldest daughter; and the fact that the succession to the throne at present is regulated by the Act of Settlement, and not by the question of who is the heir-general of Edward III of England. Nevertheless, the program attracted a fair amount of attention in the United Kingdom.
Lord Loudoun is a committed (Australian) republican and has expressed little interest in pursuing his supposed claim to the English throne, although he is amused by it. He has two sons and three daughters. His eldest son Simon holds the courtesy title Lord Mauchline. He is currently one of the seven co-heirs to the Barony of Grey de Ruthyn.
| Preceded by: Barbara Abney-Hastings | Earl of Loudoun | Succeeded by: Current Incumbent External links
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