The programme based its thesis on the centuries-old claim that
Edward IV was illegitimate, born to
Cecily, Duchess of York in
Rouen, by an English archer (surnamed Blaybourne by some) while her husband,
Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, was fighting in
Pontoise. The Duke and Duchess of York were in Rouen as Richard was at that time the English King’s lieutenant in France. The legitimacy of Edward IV was the subject of speculation at the time, and a document in
Rouen Cathedral is presented by Michael Jones as indicating that Richard and Cecily were about apart during the five-week period when Edward's conception must have occurred (assuming that the pregnancy went to a normal term). A number of historians have since challenged the conclusions reached by the programme. If Edward were indeed illegitimate, then he and his descendants would have had no valid claim to the throne, so the programme suggests that the 'real' monarchs were the heirs of his legitimate brother
George, Duke of Clarence. At the time, this line was represented by
The 14th Earl of Loudoun (who usually styled himself simply as Michael Hastings), who had emigrated to Australia in 1960, married, fathered five children, and lived in
Jerilderie, New South Wales, until his death in June 2012. ==See also==