We may never get to see the uproarious hijinks of 1991’s comedy classic, King Ralph, but, thankfully, reality is often stranger than fiction. Take, for example, a Colorado man who believes that the works of J.R.R. Tolkien are “more than fiction” and has formally laid his claim to the title of King of England.
As spotted by David Mapstone, a journalist at Britain's Sky News, Allan V. Evans of Wheat Ridge, Colorado, took out a lengthy ad in The Times of London on Wednesday claiming that due to his unbroken lineage—trailing back to the fictional Kingdom of Gondor, he says—makes him the rightful King of England. In the ad, Evans traces his ancestry through real historical kings such as Cunedda Wledig, founder of Wales, before finally arriving at where he appears to think history intersects with the stories of Tolkien, Wales being just a new name for what was once called Gondor.
An American has taken out a big ad in the Times to say he's the rightful king & intends to seize power. pic.twitter.com/ba1iQUyGer
— DavidMapstone (@DavidMapstone) March 1, 2017
Evans goes on to state that in 30 days from the post of the notice, he will be claiming his rightful lands, titles, assets, and all the rest, but will also wait until the natural death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The ad ends with a rousing call to his cause and countrymen, before the revealing final line, making any previous fictional reference explicit.
"For the legend was not a myth but was indeed true," the ad says, "and more than a mere Tolkien story, that the men of the West are now returning and now is the time of the return of the King."