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Professor Michael Hicks, an expert on Richard III and professor of history at Winchester University, is cited saying he is not convinced that the car park remains are those of the Yorkist monarch, arguing that they could just as well belong to one of many other victims of the Wars of the Roses, and that evidence from DNA testing and radiocarbon dating cited to bolster the claims that Richard had been found places the bones at somewhere between 1450 and 1540, and thus is not specific enough to pin down an exact date. Therefore it can’t be relied upon to...

Descendants of Richard III won a court battle on Friday over where to bury the medieval monarch, whose bones were found under a car park last year, but were urged not to embark on a legal version of the Wars of the Roses in which the king died. In one of the most remarkable archaeological finds in English history, a skeleton with a cleaved skull and a curved spine was formally identified as Richard's remains by DNA testing in February this year. Depicted by William Shakespeare as a deformed tyrant who murdered his two young nephews to strengthen his grip...

A facial reconstruction based on the skull of Richard III has revealed how the English king may have looked. The king's skeleton was found under a car park in Leicester during an archaeological dig. The reconstructed face has a slightly arched nose and prominent chin, similar to features shown in portraits of Richard III painted after his death. Historian and author John Ashdown-Hill said seeing it was "almost like being face to face with a real person". The development comes after archaeologists from the University of Leicester confirmed the skeleton found last year was the 15th Century king's, with DNA...

Search for infamous monarch’s remains is the latest in the rush to dig up the dead and famousFor centuries, William Shakespeare seemed to have the last word. His Richard III glowered and leered from the stage, a monster in human form and a character so repugnant "that dogs bark at me as I halt by them." In Shakespeare's famous play, the hunchbacked king claws his way to the throne and methodically murders most of his immediate family—his wife, older brother, and two young nephews—until he suffers defeat and death on the battlefield at the hands of a young Tudor hero,...

A facial reconstruction based on the skull of Richard III has revealed how the English king may have looked. A skeleton found under a car park in Leicester has been confirmed as that of the king. The reconstructed face has a slightly arched nose and prominent chin, similar to features shown in portraits of Richard III painted after his death. Historian and author John Ashdown-Hill said seeing it was "almost like being face to face with a real person". The development comes after archaeologists from the University of Leicester confirmed the skeleton found last year was the 15th Century king's,...

The skeleton showing curvature of the spine (scoliosis) consistent with historical accounts © University of LeicesterThe mortal remains of England's warrior king Richard III have been found, bringing to a close a mystery that has puzzled scholars for centuries. Analytical tests on a skeleton found under a Leicester car park have confirmed the last resting place of the final king in the Plantagenet line.The announcement comes after months of feverish speculation. In September 2012, the University of Leicester announced that its detective work combing ancient texts had led its team to conclude that the King was buried at Greyfriars Monastery...

The body of a man killed in battle found beneath a social services office car park in Leicester is that of Richard III, DNA analysis confirmed today. Dr Turi King of the University of Leicester said that there was a DNA match between the maternal line of a descendant of the family of Richard III and the remains found beneath Grey Friars car park. Lead researcher Dr Richard Buckley added: 'It is the academic conclusion of the University of Leicester that beyond reasonable doubt the remains found in Leicester are that of Richard III, the last Plantagenet king of England.'...

Until it was discovered beneath a city parking lot last fall, the skeleton had lain unmarked, and unmourned, for more than 500 years. Friars fearful of the men who slew him... --snip-- Dr. King said tests conducted at three laboratories in England and France had found that the descendants’ mitochondrial DNA, a genetic element inherited through the maternal line of descent, matched that extracted from the parking lot skeleton. She said all three samples belonged to a type of mitochondrial DNA that is carried by only 1 to 2 percent of the English population, a rare enough group to satisfy...

The background Archeologists from Leicester University have uncovered an intact skeleton which they believe is that of Richard III, the king whose reputation as a ruthless hunchback comes from William Shakespeare’s play. The skeleton has a deformed spine, and is at the site of Grey Friars church, where Richard was thought to have been buried after the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, where he was defeated by Henry Tudor. His grave is now underneath a council car park in Leicester. DNA tests will reveal whether he’s really the king or not – it’s an adult male, with spinal abnormalities that...

Analysis of DNA from Richard III has thrown up a surprise: evidence of infidelity in his family tree. Scientists who studied genetic material from remains found in a Leicester car park say the finding might have profound historical implications. Depending on where in the family tree it occurred, it could cast doubt on the Tudor claim to the English throne or, indeed, on Richard's. The study is published in the journal Nature Communications. But the scientists would not be drawn on what meaning it might have - if any - for the current Royal Family, as it was still unknown...

He was one of the nation’s most notorious monarchs in life, and Richard III is still creating controversy more than 500 years after his death. Genetic analysis of a skeleton discovered beneath a car park in Leicester three years ago has confirmed it did indeed belong to the last Plantagenet king. Much more intriguingly, it held a secret that could shake the foundations of the Tudor dynasty. The genetic discovery even raises a question mark over the current Queen’s royal heritage. DNA analysis revealed that one of Richard III’s male relatives was cuckolded - leading to his wife giving birth...