LONDON (AP) — Are you related to Edgar the Aetheling?British historians have placed ads in newspapers in the US, Britain, Australia, Germany and Norway looking for descents of the “lost king” of England, who was chosen as monarch but was never crowned.

They hope to unveil the new “king” or “queen” next month at the opening of a $2.3 million (US$4.5 million) visitor centre dedicated to the 1066 Battle of Hastings, in East Sussex, south of London.

Historians hope the project can give Britons a greater sense of who they are by providing a glimpse of what might have been had the Saxons beat the Normans.

“If William the Conqueror had not taken the throne in 1066, the entire course of English history would have been very different — we’d probably be speaking a different language ... and have a completely different system of government,” said Nick Barratt, a historian on the project.

“Who knows? We may even be a republic by now,” he said.

But Queen Elizabeth II need not worry, said Tracy Borman, a historian for English Heritage, which is running the project.

“In 1688, there was the Glorious Revolution when Parliament decided who was king,” Borman said. “So the Queen’s safe. We’re not setting up a rival Queen. We’re just tracing the would-be heir to the throne.”

The advertisements to appear in Britain’s The Times, The Scotsman, The New York Times, The Australian, Die Welt in Germany and Norway’s Aftenposten read: “Can you trace your family tree back to 1066? Might your ancestors have claimed the English throne? Are you of Edgar the Aetheling’s lineage and believe you have a legitimate claim?”

“If you have documentary evidence that your family could, theoretically, make a claim on the English crown, we would be interested to hear from you,” it says.

Edgar the Aetheling was a direct descendent of Alfred the Great and the great-nephew of Edward the Confessor, but was only ten years old at the time and not considered experienced enough to defend the realm from the Normans and Vikings.

Harold Godwinson, a powerful nobleman, was chosen by the Witan council instead and became King Harold II.

But William the Conqueror’s invasion and victory at the Battle of Hastings saw Harold killed and William take the throne.On the Net

English Heritage, www.english-heritage.org.uk/hastings

Historians search for England’s ‘lost’ monarch