Richard III's car park burial site opens to public

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Richard has become known as the murderous King of England, keen on gaining and securing power. So hungry was he for power that he has been portrayed as being willing to kill anyone who stood in his way — even his own nephews. The event has become known as the Princes in the Tower: the apparent murder in the 1480s of the deposed King Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York.

These two brothers were the only sons of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville.

When they were 12 and 9 years old respectively, they were lodged in the Tower of London by their paternal uncle and all-powerful regent the Duke of Gloucester, who later became King Richard III.

The move was supposedly made in preparation for Edward V’s forthcoming coronation.

But, before the young king could be crowned, he and his brother were declared illegitimate, and the boys were never seen again.

Until now, it has been unclear what exactly happened to the boys, with the mainstream theory suggesting that they were killed on the orders of Richard III.

But, according to researchers, Richard’s reputation has been unfairly maligned as the monarch did not, in fact, kill his nephews.

The team, led by Philippa Langley, who discovered the king’s remains under a car park in Leicester, say that the older prince Edward, may not have been murdered but instead allowed to live elsewhere under a false name.

They have pored over a trail of documents that led them to a village in Devon where Yorkist symbols have been found in the local church.

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Inside, an effigy of a man called “John Evans” was found staring at a glass window which depicts Edward V.

Researchers as part of the ‘Missing Prince Project’ believe that the mysterious John Evans may be the alter ego of Edward V.

Their research has also led them to investigate the fate of Richard of Shrewsbury, of whom they currently have several lines of inquiry.

The view that Richard III had a hand in the young boys’ murder has been subscribed to throughout history, including by William Shakespeare in his play.

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No conclusive evidence, however, has even been found to prove their murder, apart from a pile of bones discovered under the Tower staircase in 1674.

John Dike, lead researcher of the project, told the Daily Telegraph: “The idea of a missing prince lying low in Devon might appear fanciful at first.

With all the secret symbols and clues, it sounds somewhat like the Da Vinci Code. But the discoveries inside this church in the middle of nowhere are extraordinary.

“The evidence suggests that Edward was sent to live out his days on his half-brother’s land as long as he kept quiet, as part of a deal reached between his mother and Richard III, and later with Henry Tudor.”

He added: “We need more evidence and we would welcome anything that can shed further light on this mystery.

“But our findings already seem to point in one direction — that Richard III was innocent.”

The young boys were last seen playing near the Tower in the summer of 1483, and scholars have argued about their fate ever since.

The remains found in 1674 lie inside an urn in Westminster Abbey, but the Queen has reportedly refused three times to allow scientists to analyse the remains.

What is known is that on March 1, 1484, the prince’s mother emerged from sanctuary at Westminster with her daughters after reaching a deal with Richard III.

She then wrote to her eldest son Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset, a rebel who was in France with the pretender Henry Tudor, telling him to come home as Richard had agreed to pardon him as part of the agreement.

Yet, no mention was made of the Marquis’ two young half-brothers or where they were.

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