If edgar the atheling became king, who would look after him until he was 18?
There was simply no provision in English law or tradition for such an arrangement. A king either ruled in his own right or not at all. This is why the son of a king did not necessarily succeed to the throne on his father’s death – the Witan might choose the late king’s brother instead. Neither was there any concept of an “Age of majority” – at eighteen or any other age. Edgar the Atheling’s precise date of birth is uncertain – but has was probably 14/15 in 1066. By comparison – Aethelred the Unready was king with full rghts at the age of ten or twelve; Edward the Martyr at 13, Edgar at 16/17, Edwy at 13/14. The Witan could have accepted Edgar at the age of 14; or they could have accepted him despite his having been born in Hungary – but not both.
