Harold had no inalienable right to the Kingship. Edgar did.

That said.. I suppose the word of the Earls and the Witan was absolute. Given the competion and the youth of the Aetheling, I'd probably have voted in Godwinson's favour myself. After all, Edgar wouldn't have stood a chance in the face of the opposition. Harold on the other hand was a proven governor, a decent general, and a considerably popular chappy.

However, this doesn't change my opinion of him, or his family. Norman sources made a song and dance out of Harold's supposed lack of honour. That doesn't somehow make the opposite true. After all, modern sources often exaggerate in their descriptions of Hitler, but that doesn't nescessarily make them worthless and invalid. I'm not comparing Harold to Hitler, by the way, I'm just trying to get the point across and no one else fills the role quite so well.