And though he didn't dare to make too brazen a move, any dispassionate observer arriving in England in the early 1060s could have had to conclude that once Edward was gone, the throne was Harold's for the taking. And then, all at once, an ill wind blew away this fair-weather vision. It all started with a voyage, that no one can fully explain, even to this day. In 1064, Harold and a group of men set sail across the Channel for Normandy. Maybe it was to rescue his younger brother, Wulfstan, who had been taken hostage by William. But for the Norman chroniclers, the journey could only have had one purpose. Harold was confirming Edward's offer of the crown. Why would Harold do something so against his own best interests?


尽管他并不敢厚颜无耻地有所行动，但在11世纪60年代的英格兰，任一个明眼人都会清楚，一旦爱德华撒手西去，王位将是哈罗德的囊中之物然而没过多久，一场突如其来的风波又让局势变得扑朔迷离，起因是一次时至今日、仍无人能解释清楚的航行，1064年，哈罗德带人横跨英吉利海峡前往诺曼底，也许他是想去营救。被威廉扣作人质的弟弟，沃尔夫斯坦，但根据诺曼史料记载，此次旅程的目的只有一个，哈罗德前去宣布爱德华传给自己的王位，哈罗德怎会做出这等损害自己利益的事呢？