I’ve been waiting for the DNA results on the skeleton which was found in a car park in Leicester last year and they’ve just come through on BBC News 24 – sure enough, it is Richard III, the last Plantagenet king of England. I was fairly sure that it would turn out to be him and I really wanted it to be him – don’t ask me why! I suppose he’ll get a better resting place now. It is the end of the line for the Plantagenets though as the lady whose DNA was used to confirm the match has no children and she and her brother, also childless, were the only living descendants according to the experts in that sort of thing.
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It really is quite amazing!
Peggy Ann,
I know – he has been missing for over 500 years!
It is exciting and I’m looking forward to the Channel 4 programme this evening. I just wish I hadn’t heard the DNA result on the BBC news this morning, it would have been nice to have had it disclosed at the end of the programme! I like a bit of extra drama!!
Linda,
I know – I heard a trailer for the Channel 4 show this afternoon and I felt sorry for the makers of it, talk about anti-climax as far as they are concerned!
That is so exciting! Is there any talk of where they will relocate him?
Anbolyn,
Apparently he is going to be reburied in Leicester Cathedral, which is close to where he died. They are planning quite a ‘big do’ I believe!
Hi, Katrina,
All I can say is, “WOW!” I can’t recall how many times a historical figure’s bones have been purportedly found, only to have my hopes dashed, time and time again.
This is a truly stunning find. I must read up on it!
Thank you so much for posting this,
Judith (Reader in the Wilderness)
Judith,
It is quite amazing really, they found the skeleton very soon after they started the dig in the car park and were astonished to see it had curvature of the spine, but it has all been checked up and it’s him!
An amazing story! Fancy the one who started the whole episode,Philippa, “feeling” that the space in the carpark with the R (for Reserved) on it was where Richard was buried! Fancy them being able to track down living descendants! Fancy them being able to say with such certainty that this was indeed him!
The whole thing has been just so … well… amazing!
Evee,
I’ve not seen the programme yet, it sounds incredible. We ended up watching the Poliakoff thing and I intended watching the Richard III thing on my laptop but then I realized it would take forever with the internet as it is at the moment. I think it’s being shown again later in the week on 47.