The only Australian with a role in the coronation of King Charles III has touched down in London and has been busy rehearsing.
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Simon Abney-Hastings is the 15th Earl of Loudoun and will perform the Bearer of the Great Golden Spurs role on May 6. He is a Wangaratta resident and a distant relative of the King.
The Earl's private secretary Terence Guthridge said the final coronation rehearsal was completed on May 4 and Abney-Hastings was "very excited".
"He's not nervous, it's a traditional role for him, and he's very happy to perform that role for the Loudoun family. The Loudoun Earls have attended a number of coronations, and he takes his responsibility very seriously," Mr Guthridge said.
The Earl did not receive financial support from the royal family to attend the coronation. More than 200 applications were made for coronation roles and only 13 people were granted the right after a careful selection process.
Mr Guthridge said Simon Abney-Hastings and King Charles III exchange birthday or Christmas cards each year.
"He's a loyal supporter of the monarchy," he said.
Claims to the throne
The Earl is directly descended from George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, brother of Edward IV and Richard III, who was King of England from 1483-1485.
Because of this royal lineage some historians believe the Earl is the rightful heir to the British throne. This argument involves the claim that Edward IV of England was illegitimate.
The Earl's late father, Michael Edward Abney-Hastings, 14th Earl of Loudoun, was a British-Australian farmer and Jerilderie councillor who died in 2012.
He came to believe in the family's claim to the throne in 2004, when a documentary crew arrived at his door in the New South Wales town of Jerilderie with the news that he was royalty, as part of the documentary 'Britain's Real Monarch'.
Some historians have claimed Edward IV was illegitimate because he was born of an affair while his father was fighting in France. This thesis claims George should have been king as the legitimate eldest son.
Michael Abney-Hastings was elected to Jerilderie council in 2004 and re-elected in 2008. He pushed for the buildings visited by Ned Kelly to be preserved to promote tourism.
According to Mr Guthridge, Simon Abney-Hastings has never held this view and has always been a loyal, staunch supporter of Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III.
Golden spurs represent knighthood and chivalry
The Earls of Loudoun have been the bearers of the golden spurs at coronations dating to King Richard I who ruled England from 1189 to 1199.
Gold spurs were first included among the English coronation ornaments in 1189 at the coronation of Richard I the Lionheart.
They symbolise knighthood and chivalry and their use in the coronation ritual derives directly from the ceremony of creating a knight, according to the Royal Collection Trust.
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During the coronation ceremony the sovereign is invested with the ornaments.
Traditionally the spurs were fastened to the sovereigns' feet but since restoration they had simply been held to the ankles of kings or queens and then placed on the altar.
The official Australian delegation to the coronation will include Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, singer Nick Cave, comedian Adam Hills, and soccer player Sam Kerr alongside other notable Australians.
