King Charles 'supportive' of solving the biggest mystery in royal history
The Tower of London has played many important roles throughout history. Not only has it been royal home, a torture chamber, a Royal Mint, and zoo but it has also served as a prison to the likes of Queen Elizabeth I, Guy Fawkes and the Kray Twins.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site is famous for its 1000-year history and the number of significant royal events which took place there. Perhaps one of the tower's biggest mysteries is the story of 'the Princes in the Tower' and exactly what happened to King Richard III's two young nephews.
While historical enthusiasts have pondered the question for centuries, it seems we could soon have an answer to the 500-year old question as King Charles is "supportive" of work to confirm whether two children's skeletons which are currently at rest in Westminster Abbey are in fact the bodies of young King Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York.
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The Princes in the Tower is a mystery that King Charles is supportive of solving (De Agostini via Getty Images)The Princes in the Tower is a story that has haunted historians for hundreds of years - what happened to the children? Did their uncle Richard III play any role in their disappearance? And, crucially, are the two bodies found during the reign of Charles II actually the remains of the young royals?
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It appears that the public may finally find out as a project to test the DNA of the bones is something that King Charles is reportedly "supportive" of. The monarch studied archelogy at Cambridge University and is said to "take a different view" on the project than his late mother did.
Two bodies of young children were found near the chapel in the White Tower of the Tower of London in 1674 and were placed in an urn and interred at Westminster Abbey on the orders of Charles II. As the bodies were placed in the Royal Crypts, any further investigation requires the monarch's consent.
While the late Queen blocked any attempt to investigate the legitimacy of the bones, it is said that the King may provide his backing as he is "supportive" of the project. Chief curator of Historic Royal Palaces, Tracy Borman, explained: "He has said he would like an investigation to go ahead, so that we can determine, once and for all, how the young royals died."
Upon the death of King Edward IV in 1483, his 12-year-old son succeeded him as King Edward V and was met by his uncle, Richard III (then the Duke of Gloucester) who served as Lord Protector to travel to London. The story goes that Edward and his nine-year-old brother, Richard, Duke of York were sent to live at the Tower of London ahead of Edward V's coronation.
However, the Duke of Gloucester declared that his nephews were illegitimate and that he was the only true heir to the House of York. He gathered support from many powerful sources and was crowned on July 6. It is said that the two princes were taken to inner apartments within the tower and were not seen in public again after the summer of 1483.
The bodies of two children were found in a box under a staircase in the Tower of London during Charles II's reign and were interred in the Royal Crypts. While other children's skeletons have been found before, the belief that these bodies were those of the lost princes is supported by the fact that the box contained "rags of velvet" and matched the location given in an account by historian Thomas More.
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