JERILDERIE, Australia (AP) — If Australian forklift operator Mike Hastings is, as genealogists contend, the rightful heir to the British throne, then he really needs to brush up on his tea-making skills.

A documentary team from Britain’s Channel Four conducted extensive research and concluded Hastings’ ancestors were cheated out of the crown in the 15th century, meaning he should rightfully be the British head of state.

The documentary’s historian Michael Jones found documents in Rouen Cathedral he believes show that Edward IV, who ruled from 1461 to 1483, was illegitimate because when he was conceived his parents were 124 miles apart.

Edward’s “father” Richard of York was fighting the French at Pontoise, while his mother Cecily was five days’ march away at Rouen, allegedly enjoying the attentions of an archer, according to Jones’ research.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2005-10-12-king-mike_x.htm?csp=34