Skeleton found is confirmed as King Richard III

A skeleton found beneath a car park is that of English King Richard III, it has emerged

17:07 04 February 2013

A skeleton which has been found underneath a car park in Leicester is that of King Richard III, it has been confirmed on Monday. DNA tests, which were carried out on the bones, have confirmed they are that of the King who ruled England from 1483.

 

Leading archaeologist Richard Taylor, from Leicester University, announced to reporters that: “Beyond reasonable doubt it's Richard. This is a historic day for Leicester.”

 

It is thought that the location where the skeleton was found was once a church, and that King Richard III was buried under the floor there.

 

Tests have been carried out with regards to the find, but it is believed that DNA testing on an ancestor of the King has led to the release of the news.

 

The skeleton which experts found is understood to have a curved spine. King Richard III, who was born in 1452, died two years into his reign. The bones also show that the skull was damaged.

 

King Richard III of England died over 500 years ago during the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. He was the last King from the House of York and brother to Edward IV, who died the same year King Richard III took to the throne.

 

The city of Leicester is based in the Midlands, near to the River Soar. It is situated between Peterborough and Coventry.