Britain's Real Monarch was an historical documentary presented by Tony Robinson shown on Channel 4 on January 3, 2004, and again on November 20, 2004.[1] This documentary presented evidence that the present monarch, Elizabeth II, does not have a valid claim to the throne that she has occupied since 1952. This theory is based on the assumption that a legitimate claimant to the English throne must be descended from Henry II (1154-1189) in an unbroken line of descent in which all members were born legitimately, that is, their parents were married at the time of their birth. If a line of descent passes through someone who was born out of wedlock then no descendant of that person has a legitimate claim to the throne. Tony Robinson as Baldrick in Blackadder. ... Channel 4 is a public-service television broadcaster in the United Kingdom (see British television). ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of 16 sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally, though she is more directly involved with the United Kingdom, where the Royal Family resides, and the Monarchy is historically indigenous. ... Henry II of England (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189) ruled as Count of Anjou, Duke of Normandy, and as King of England (1154–1189) and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland[citation needed], eastern Ireland, and western France. ...

The program based its claim on the theory that Edward IV was illegitimate, and therefore as his direct heir, Elizabeth has no rightful claim either. Edward IV (April 28, 1442 – April 9, 1483) was King of England from March 4, 1461 to April 9, 1483, with a break of a few months in the period 1470–1471. ...

Historical evidence

Although later known for her piety as well as her pride it was rumoured at the time that, in the summer of 1441, Cecily had an affair with an English archer named Blaybourne based in the Rouen garrison in Normandy while her husband was elsewhere in France fighting. The future Edward IV is said to have been the result of this liaison. Edward was tall and (unlike his younger brother Richard of Gloucester) did not resemble his father, Richard of York, in physical appearance. Rouen Cathedral The entrance to Rouen Cathedral Abbey church of Saint-Ouen, (chevet) in Rouen Rouen, medieval house Rouen (pronounced in French, sometimes also ) is the historical capital city of Normandy, in northwestern France on the River Seine, and presently the capital of the Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy) région. ... Mont Saint-Michel, one of the famous symbols of Normandy. ... Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 1483 until his death. ... Richard, Duke of York (21 September 1411 – 30 December 1460) was a member of the English royal family, who served in senior positions in France at the end of the Hundred Years War, and in England during Henry VIs madness. ...

According to Dominic Mancini, an Italian visitor to London in 1464, Edward's mother, Cecily Neville 'fell into a frenzy' at news of the marriage of her eldest surviving son Edward to Elizabeth Woodville and, in her rage, made the astounding accusation that he was a bastard, adding that she would be prepared to testify before a public enquiry that this was indeed the case. Cecily Neville (3 May 1415 – 31 May 1495), Duchess of York, was called the Rose of Raby (because she was born at Raby Castle in Durham, England) and Proud Cis (because of her pride and a temper that went with it). ... Elizabeth Woodville or Wydville (c. ...

According to research by Dr Michael Jones based on documents in Rouen Cathedral, there was a 5-week period when Richard was 100 miles away from his wife, leading a military campaign against the French, during which Edward was conceived Thus, Richard could not have been Edward's father, and so Edward's parents were not married at the time of his birth. Therefore, Edward IV had no legitimate claim to the English throne, and so none of his descendants, including the present Queen, have had either. Entrance to Rouen Cathedral Rouen Cathedral, Full Sunlight, by Claude Monet, 1894 Rouen Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen) is a Gothic cathedral in Rouen, in northwestern France. ...

An alternative heir?

Tony Robinson asked the question: if the succession of kings and queens from Edward IV to Elizabeth II is illegitimate, is there an alternative, legitimate line of descent? And if so, has it persisted to the present day?

He traced the decendants of Richard and Cecily's second son, George, Duke of Clarence, down to Michael Hastings (born 1942), who emigrated to Australia in 1960, married, fathered five children, and currently lives in Jerilderie, New South Wales. Since the line of descent from Henry II to Hastings is legitimate, and the line of descent from Henry II to Elizabeth II is not, Robinson claims that it follows that Hastings is Britain's legitimate king, and the present occupant of Buckingham Palace has no valid claim to be Queen. George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence (21 October 1449 – 18 February 1478) was the third son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the younger brother of King Edward IV of England. ... Michael Edward Abney-Hastings, 14th Earl of Loudoun (born 1942) is an British-born Australian rice researcher. ... Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Memorial. ...

Problems with the theory

Though an interesting exercise in alternative history, there are many problems with the theory. The question of whether Edward was illegitimate had been widespread in historical circles for many years before the documentary aired, and no decisive conclusion has ever been reached. Furthermore, under English law, the child of a married woman is automatically considered the child of her husband unless he is disclaimed at birth. Since Richard did not do this, Edward remained his legal son and heir, whether or not he was actually Richard's biological son. Alternative history or alternate history can be: A history told from an alternative viewpoint, rather than from the view of imperialist, conqueror, or explorer. ...

Moreover, though the theory is that the line of succession should be linear and unbroken, the historical reality is that the 'rightful' heir to the throne tends to be the person who is crowned and has the strength to hold on to it. The succession to the English crown has been muddied many times over the years, and quite often, the next in succession heir was not the one crowned king. One might just as well argue that no monarch has been legitimate since Harold Godwinson was usurped by William the Conqueror, in which case Hastings would have no better claim to the throne than Elizabeth. Other examples of the rightful next in line not taking the throne include Henry Bolingbroke (usurping the rightful Richard II); Henry Tudor (usurping Richard III, who in turn had usurped Edward V); William of Orange, who took the crown in the Glorious Revolution; or George I, who was about fortieth in line to the crown, but was invited to become king since the 1701 Act of Settlement decreed that no Catholics could take the throne. Succession to the British Throne has generally been according to the rules of male-preference primogeniture. ... Harold Godwinson, or Harold II of England (c. ... William of Normandy (French: Guillaume de Normandie; c. ... // Birth and life before accession - relationship with Richard II - exile - return and usurpation Henry IV (April 3, 1367 – March 20, 1413) was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence the other name by which he was known, Henry of Bolingbroke. His father, John of Gaunt was the third and oldest... Richard II (January 6, 1367 – February 14, 1400) was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan The Fair Maid of Kent. He was born at Bordeaux and became his fathers heir when his elder brother died in infancy. ... Henry VII (January 28, 1457 – April 21, 1509), King of England, Lord of Ireland (August 22, 1485 – April 21, 1509), was the founder and first patriarch of the Tudor dynasty. ... Edward V (4 November 1470 – 1483?) was the King of England from 9 April 1483 until his deposition. ... William III Mary II The phrase William and Mary usually refers to the joint sovereignty over the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland of King William III and his wife Queen Mary II. Their joint reign began in February, 1689, when they were called to the throne by... The Glorious Revolution (1688-1689), also known as the bloodless revolution, is an event in which the Stuart king James II (James VII of Scotland) was removed from his thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland, and replaced by William of the House of Orange and his wife and joint sovereign... George I (Georg Ludwig) (28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727) was Elector of Hanover from 23 January 1698, and King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 1 August 1714, until his death. ... The Electress Sophia The Act of Settlement (12 & 13 Wm 3 c. ...

See also

Direct descent from William I to Elizabeth II This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...