Tower of London: Phillip Schofield on raven going ‘missing’

Tower of London staff said they fear one of its resident ravens is dead. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, raven master Christopher Skaife said Merlina, the castle’s Queen raven, had not returned since before the Christmas lockdown. The announcement has reminded people across the UK of the legend associated with the famous birds, which describes an apocalyptic fate for the nation should they disappear.

What is the legend of the Tower of London?

The Tower of London was built in the late 11th century, and early historical accounts put the ravens there from at least the 16th.

The legend of the ravens didn’t come until some time later, during World War Two.

Ravens served as unofficial spotters for incoming bombs, and all but one died during the war, giving rise to the legend that if they died, the tower and country would fall.

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Speaking back in April, Mr Skaife said the tower would “crumble to dust” were the ravens to leave.

He added the lockdown had been tough on the birds, as the tower is “only the tower when the people are here.”

Mr Skaife said: “The ravens have always been so important … because they’ve been surrounded by myths and legends.

“We really need people to come back to help the ravens.”

Seven ravens lived at the castle backing the spring, named Jubilee, Harris, Gripp, Rocky, Erin, Poppy and Merlina.

Now they are reduced to six, with Merlina missing, and Mr Skaife said he fears she “is not with us”.

In the Today programme interview, he said: “Merlina is a free-spirited raven and has been known to leave the tower precincts on many occasion.

“I’m her buddy and she normally comes back to us, but this time she didn’t.”

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“So, I do fear that she is not with us any more.”

“Just before Christmas, before we went into the lockdown, we were putting the ravens to bed, and she didn’t come back.”

But all is not lost for the tower, however, as staff have a contingency.

Mr Skaife said: “We do have seven ravens here at the Tower of London, six by royal decree.”

“And of course I still have a spare one, so we’re OK at the moment.”

The Tower of London runs a breeding programme which keeps ravens in circulation.

The Tower’s Twitter account revealed in time, a chick would replace Merlna.

The tweet read: “In time we hope that a new chick from our breeding programme will be up to the formidable challenge of continuing her legacy.”

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