Today is the first of our ‘Truth, Stories and Mysteries’ series, taking a look back through some of historical England’s unanswered questions. First up, The Princes in the Tower.
The infamous ‘Princes in the Tower’ were Edward (1470-1483) and Richard (1473-1483), the sons of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. Shortly after Edward was crowned Edward V, he and his brother disappeared and were never seen alive again…
On 9th April 1483, King Edward IV died suddenly. He had two sons: Edward (aged 12) and Richard (aged 9). Before dying, he made his trusted younger brother, Richard Duke of Gloucester, Protector of the young princes, to run the country until his nephew, Prince Edward, was old enough to rule by himself. As the young new king left for London, he was met by Richard and escorted to the Tower of London. In June, Edward was joined by his brother, the Duke of York.
On 26th June 1483 Richard Duke of Gloucester announced that neither of the princes could inherit the throne because their father hadn’t been legally married to their mother due to a previous betrothal to another woman. Where once the princes were regularly seen playing on Tower Green, they soon dropped out of sight.
In July 1483, Richard, Duke of Gloucester was crowned Richard III. The two boys were never seen again.
In 1674 workmen were clearing away rubble at the base of a staircase when they unearthed two small skeletons. Since that time there have been several attempts to re-examine the skeletons to determine if the remains are indeed of the princes. Although no one knows (and may never know) for sure, the question remains – if these are not the remains of Edward and Richard, then who are they? And if these are the skeletons of the Princes in the Tower, were they murdered, and if so, by whom?
Source: The White Queen FB