Melbourne, July 12 (ANI): A man from Australia, who is an ardent fan of Collingwood, could challenge Prince Charles to become the next king of England as he is considered by some historians to be the rightful heir to the English throne.
However, Simon Abney-Hastings from Wangaratta said that he is more at home in his three-bedroom weatherboard than he would be in the 1000-room Windsor Castle.
The textile worker prefers a bourbon and coke and a barbie to tea and scones served on a silver tray.
The 37-year-old son of a "Ten Pound Pom" is the new 15th Earl of Loudoun, who happens to be related to Queen Elizabeth.
In what would be a right royal controversy, he's wondering whether to knock on the door at Buckingham Palace to ask for the realm to be returned to his side of the family.
With the funeral of his father, Michael, in NSW last week, Abney-Hastings can lay claim to be next in line to the throne.
The happy bachelor is a direct descendant of England's House of York, whose squabbles with the House of Lancaster became known as the Wars of the Roses and were dramatised by William Shakespeare.
A few years ago, noted historian Dr Michael Jones claimed the Abney-Hastings family should occupy the throne instead of Queen Elizabeth, because the alleged illegitimate birth of Edward IV made void the legitimacy of his descendants.
He calls himself a "reluctant royal", prefers a cap on his head to a crown, and fiercely protects his privacy.
But he hasn't ruled out staking a claim to the monarchy.
His father, Michael, was mates with Andrew Parker Bowles, Camilla's first husband, yet turned his back on his homeland at 18 to sail to Australia as a "Ten-Pound Pom" and become a farmer.
"The family motto is 'I Byde My Tyme' and, given the Abney-Hastings have had to wait six centuries to stake any claim, a little longer won't make much difference," News.com.au quoted him as telling the Herald Sun.
His family history is steeped in prestige and royal connections and boasts priceless paintings of ancestors, while the Queen, in some cases, has to make do with replicas.
Abney-Hastings saw the sad side of life as a royal while a visitor to England, when he joined tens of thousands of mourners who gathered for Princess Diana's funeral procession. (ANI)
