Miserable old git King Richard III did have his young nephews killed in the Tower of London, according to bombshell new evidence.
The Princes in the Tower murder case may have finally been cracked after “smoking gun” evidence was discovered. Mystery has long surrounded what happened to young King Edward V and his brother Richard, who vanished from the Tower of London in 1483.
Historians now think the discovery of Lady Margaret Capell’s will, which features Edward’s prized chain, beefs up the theory that Richard III, their hunch-backed uncle, ordered the killings.
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(Image: Dukas/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The damning document links the prime suspect Sir James Tyrell, a trusted knight of Richard III who was Lady Margaret’s brother-in-law, to the jewellery. Although it is not clear how she got it, historians called it a “vital link”.
Tracy Borman, of Historic Royal Palaces, said: “This chain provides a vital link to the young Edward V, and the fact it was in the possession of someone closely linked with a prime suspect in their presumed murder could be hugely significant.” She called the “extremely exciting” discovery “a smoking gun”.
Richard III, who declared the lads illegitimate heirs, has long been a suspect. Prof Tim Thornton, of the Royal Historical Society, uncovered the 1522 will mentioning the chain. He said “the balance of probabilities is tilting towards” Richard, whose spinal deformity gave him a hunch, being guilty.
The Princes In The Tower: a Damning Discovery is on tomorrow (Tuesday) on Channel 5.
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