It is one of history’s most enduring mysteries: what happened to the Princes in the Tower?
The 12-year-old King Edward V and his nine-year-old brother vanished without a trace in 1483, and their uncle Richard III has long been suspected of ordering their murders.
Now, a year after hotly contested evidence suggested Edward and Richard of York could have survived, a new discovery has bolstered the theory that they were secretly killed.
A Channel 5 documentary airing tomorrow evening reveals for the first time a will that features one of the young Edward’s prize possessions among its bequests.
The King’s highly significant chain of office was part of the estate of Lady Margaret Capell, the sister-in-law of Sir James Tyrell, one of the princes’ alleged murderers.
Tyrell’s involvement in the plot was first reported by Sir Thomas More, the Lord Chancellor of King Henry VIII.
Leading historian Tracy Borman, who is co-presenting The Princes in the Tower: A Damning Discovery with actor Jason Watkins, called the discovery ‘hugely exciting’ and says in the programme that it is a ‘smoking gun’.
New evidence has bolstered the theory that the Princes in the Tower were murdered on the orders of their uncle Richard III
A Channel 5 documentary airing tomorrow evening reveals for the first time a will that features one of the young Edward’s prize possessions among its bequests. The King’s highly significant chain of office was part of the estate of Lady Margaret Capell, the sister-in-law of Sir James Tyrell, one of the princes’ alleged murderers
Edward V – who was never crowned – and his brother were the sons of Edward IV, who died in 1483.
After being declared illegitimate heirs by Richard III, then the Duke of Gloucester, the two princes were taken to the Tower of London and then vanished from the historical record.
Richard then ruled as King until 1485, when he was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field.
The previously overlooked will, which dates back to 1522, was found at the National Archives by Professor Tim Thornton, a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Huddersfield.
Lady Margaret’s will reads: ‘Also, I bequeath to my son, Sir Giles, his father’s chain which was young King Edward the V’s.’
It remains unclear how Lady Margaret, who was the widow of Sir William Capell, the two-time lord mayor of London, came into possession of Edward’s chain.
Tyrell was one of three brothers-in-law of Sir William. And the latter man’s own will refers to business dealings with the Tyrells. They are know to have exchanged jewellery.
The discovery suggests that More’s version of events, written down in his book The History of King Richard III, may not just be Tudor propaganda.
He had claimed that Sir James employed two men, Miles Forest and John Dighton, to kill Edward V and Richard.
He wrote: ‘For Sir James Tyrell devised that they should be murdered in their beds.
Actor Jason Watkins (centre) with his co-presenter, historian Tracy Borman and Professor Tim Thornton, the expert who unearthed the will’s bombshell bequest
The previously overlooked will, which dates back to 1522, was found at the National Archives by Professor Tim Thornton, a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Huddersfield
The line in the will adds weight to the claim that Edward V and his brother were killed
For centuries, the dominant belief has been that King Richard III had the boys murdered so he could claim the throne
Edward V – who was never crowned – and his brother were the sons of Edward IV, who died in 1483. Above: A 19th century depiction of the murder of the princes
In Shakespeare’s play Richard III, the Machiavellian royal sends for his two nephews to be killed in the Tower of London (pictured) to get closer to the throne
‘To the execution whereof, he appointed Miles Forest, one of the four that kept them, a fellow hardened in murder before that time.
‘To him he joined one John Dighton, his own housekeeper, a big, broad, square strong knave.
‘Then all the others being removed from them, this Miles Forest and John Dighton about midnight (the innocent children lying in their beds) came into the chamber, and suddenly lapped them up among the bedclothes – so bewrapped them and entangled them, keeping down by force the featherbed and pillows hard unto their mouths, that within a while, smothered and stifled, their breath failing, they gave up to God their innocent souls into the joys of heaven, leaving to the tormentors their bodies dead in the bed.’
Professor Thornton said: ‘After centuries of speculation and uncertainty about the fate of the princes in the Tower, we can now show that when Sir Thomas More accused Sir James Tyrell of responsibility for their deaths of the princes he was in touch with people who were part of the story, including Tyrell’s in-laws – and that they owned the young king’s chain.’
Dr Borman, chief curator of Historic Royal Palaces, said: ‘The fate of the Princes in the Tower is one of the most intriguing mysteries in the long history of this iconic fortress and palace.
‘It continues to fascinate visitors today, more than 500 years after the princes disappeared.
‘The story has long been of great interest to me personally: in fact, first learning about it at school was the reason I became a historian.
‘Being able to walk in the footsteps of the characters involved whilst making this programme was a great privilege.
‘And the fact that Professor Thornton’s discovery was brought to light during filming was hugely exciting.
‘I will never forget seeing that will in the National Archives for the first time. It was a real shivers down the spine moment.’
The new find is likely to receive pushback from defenders of Richard III.
Princes in the Tower: A Damning Discovery, airs tomorrow at 9pm on Channel 5 & My5
Last year the historian who led the discovery of the remains of Richard III beneath a Leicester car park unearthed evidence that she claimed suggested both of his nephews survived their imprisonment in the Tower of London.
Documents unearthed by Philippa Langley’s team of researchers indicated that Edward and Richard, the Duke of York, fled to Europe and assumed the identities of Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck, who are long known to have launched failed attempts to depose Henry VII in the late 15th century.
Edward was believed to be Simnel, who was the central figure in the 1487 Yorkist invasion of England.
Warbeck, who had initially claimed to be Richard, failed in a 1497 bid to claim the throne and then signed a confession admitting he was a boatman’s son.
The evidence was hotly contested by historians at the time.
Princes in the Tower: A Damning Discovery, airs tomorrow at 9pm on Channel 5 & My5.