Suppose Edward the Confessor promised the throne to William (OTL Will said he did and only other normans under his pay were part of that conversation) and did so in front of all William's counts, his court, and three of the English Earls. No church officials are invovled Three questions
Does it make William's claim right (by primogeniture, he's still wrong)?
Does it make it easier for William to get recruits (he needed the Pope's banner, Breton mercs and his vassals to boost numbers)?
Would the Earls present (assume they don't rebel against Harold but survive post Hastings) sit out in the Harrying of the North?