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Old 11-21-2018, 02:26 PM   #350
40 Deluxe
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: now Kuna, Idaho
Posts: 3,774
Default Re: tell a Model A related story

Quote:
Originally Posted by woofa.express View Post
Intriguing Englishman working at Rice Research Farm at Jerilderie NSW.

I’d worked with him a just a few times during rice sowing season. A pleasant fellow and it was known he had a title -- Michael Abney-Hastings, 14th Earl of Loudoun. But Michael said it was bad enough being a Pommy in Australia let alone a titled Pommy. He had married a local girl and had a boy and I believe two girls.

Well the British channel 4 TV arrived at Jerilderie unannounced to interview him. I remember seeing this on TV. They rolled out a window blind with a lineage tree drawn on it. Michael’s name and title were clear . They then told Michael that a previous royal ancestor was illegitimate and another was ineligible. They asked Michael did he realise what that made him. He went white. Yes, he was the legitimate king of England. The TV producers didn’t provide hearsay evidence, it was all correctly documented. The Poms are fastidious about keeping records.

Well Jerilderie is a town of about 1,000 people and that notoriety put the little town on the map. The program producers did poke a little fun (ridicule) at the town. Like the rifle range adjacent to the airport and dirty boots piled up on the veranda at Michael’s front door.
Following the exposure, the excitement and notoriety the town settled down and returned back to normal. Michael said he wasn’t intending to make a claim on his royal lineage, living in Jerilderie was just fine by him. Michael died some years back and his son Simon who is a shearer is now the holder of the title ie earl and king. Father and son photos are posted below.
There are two links below, if any person is interested they can get this intriguing story from the internet. Reports from both Wikipedia and NationalGeographic. The Wikipedia report is comprehensive whereas the National Geographic is simple.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/history/should-an-aussie-be-the-king-of-england.aspx

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Abney-Hastings,_14th_Earl_of_Loudoun
He should have went after the kingship. Wouldn't that have tweaked the noses of the pretentious upper crust royalty!!
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