One of Britain’s oldest unsolved mysteries, but what really happened to the Princes in the Tower? The two Princes were the sons of Edward IV and heir to the English throne who were allegedly murdered by their uncle, Richard III. But what real proof is there? We have two skeletons found in the Tower of London that are supposedly the remains of the princes, but their authenticity is highly disputed. Mystery Files re-opens the murder case and assesses whether Shakespeare’s evil, decrepit Richard III is nothing more than Tudor propaganda.
When Princes Edward and Richard, heirs to the English throne, disappeared within the walls of the Tower of London in late June 1483, rumours soon began to circulate. They vanished while in the care of their Uncle Richard who was brother to the late King Edward IV and so would inherit the throne if it wasn’t for the princes, and as the news started to spread, cries of murder were heard across England. Their disappearance is shrouded in mystery but were they killed? And if so by who?
Prof A.J. Pollard - University of Teeside
Anthony James Pollard is a British medieval historian, specialising in North-Eastern England during the Wars of the Roses. He is considered the leading authority on the field. A fellow of the University of Teesside, he is part of the research staff of the "Centre for Regional and Local Historical Research". In addition to works on the Wars of the Roses, he has also written books on Robin Hood (2004) and Warwick the Kingmaker (2007).
Bert Fields - Author, Royal Blood - King Richard III and the Mystery of the Princes
Bert Fields is one of the nation's leading entertainment attorneys. Mr. Fields’ represents the industry’s top performers, directors, writers, producers, studios, talent agencies, book publishers and record companies. Clients include DreamWorks, MGM, United Artists, The Weinstein Company, Toho, Nippon Herald, Tom Cruise, Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman, James Cameron, Mike Nichols, Jeffrey Katzenberg, David Geffen, Jerry Bruckheimer, Joel Silver, Sherry Lansing, The Beatles, Madonna, Sony Music and many others. In addition, he has represented such major authors as Mario Puzo, James Clavell, Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler and Richard Bach.
Mr. Fields has been the subject of numerous personal profiles in magazines and newspapers in the United States and the United Kingdom, such as the New Yorker Magazine, the New York Times, the London Sunday Times and Vanity Fair.
Mr. Fields is the author, under a pseudonym, of two novels, the first published by Simon and Schuster and the second by Random House. His third book is a biographical work on Richard III published by ReganBooks/HarperCollins under his own name. His fourth book is an analysis of the Shakespeare authorship question, also published by ReganBooks/HarperCollins.
Dr Michael K Jones - Author, Bosworth 1485 Pyschology of a battle
Is an Independent scholar specialising in medieval English history. He has written/co-written a number of books’Bosworth 1485 psychology of a battle’, The Kings Mother:Lady Margaret baeufort, Countess Of Richmond and Derby. He has also contributed to John Gillingham’s Richard III:A Medieval Kingshipon Richard as a Soldier.
He is a member of the Richard III society and is also an experienced speaker, trainer and life coach. After completing a PhD in military history he has lectured at universities and is a former Vice Chair of ManKind Project UK.
Mike features regularly on TV and Radio, recently on Channel 4's Weapons that Made Britain and Agincourt, Tony Robinson's Richard III: Fact or Fiction and Britain's Real Monarch, Melvyn Bragg's In Our Time and Radio 4's Today programme. At the moment he is completing a battle guide to Agincourt and working with General Anatoly Mereshko on a book How the Red Army Won at Stalingrad.
Lynda Pidgeon - Research Officer, The Richard III Society
Completed her MA in Medieval Studies at Reading in 2005 and commenced part-time PhD at Southampton in 2006 working thesis title''The reputation of the Wydeviles, a Reassessment' my supervisor is Prof Anne Curry.I am a member of the editorial board for the new LASS (Law, Art and Social Sciences) Doctoral Research Journal at Southampton University
Lynda has published several articles in the Ricardian in 2005 and 2006 on 'Antony Wydevile; Family Friends and Affinity'. She has an another article due out this year in Northamptonshire Past & Present 'A Family "Made by Maryage"; Sir Richard Wydevile and Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford'.
Lynda has also contributed a number of articles to the Ricardian Bulletin and one on the Society Web Site and has given papers at the Leeds International Medieval Congress in 2008 and 2009 and is due to give one at the 15th Century Conference next month.
Lynda has been a member of the Richard III society since the 1980s. She was technical editor of the Ricardian Bulletin in 2003-2009 Jan 2009 and became the Society Research Officer. She has also been a member of the Executive Committee since 2006.
Dr Julian Luxford - University of St Andrews
Julian Researches Medieval Northern art and architecture; medieval manuscript studies; monastic patronage and reception of art, architecture and texts; Carthusian history.Julian’s interests lie in the later medieval parish in England and Scotland, and extend to most aspects of parochial culture. Art and architecture are his main fields of research. Julian is currently writing on roodscreen painting in Norfolk, a subject he wishes to develop in future work. Julian also particularly interested in the flint flushwork embellishment of East Anglian churches, and in church architecture and monuments broadly.
Peter O'Donohue - The Royal College Of Arms
Is the current Bluemantle Pursuivant of arms in Ordinary at the College of Arms London. He was appointed office in January 2005 on successful completion of a period of probation. After graduating form Cambridge University, O’Donoghue worked for several years asa genealogist and researcher, including time spent as research assistant to two Windsor Heralds.
As a herald Peter’s work entails a variety of things. These include: carrying out heraldic and genealogical research on behalf of personal and corporate clients; designing new coats of Arms; researching and registering pedigrees of families; advising on the use of heraldry by private individuals and corporate bodies, including local government bodies, charities, schools, universities and so on. In addition I an the co-author and tutor of a heraldry module at the University of Dundee, and the co-editor of The Coat of Arms, the pre-eminent English-language scholarly journal of heraldry.
Edward IV
Successfully won the battle of Tewkesbury and became the first Yorkist King of England in the 15th Century.
Henry VII
Also known as Henry Tudor, and father of Henry VIII. He defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth.
The Duke Of Buckingham
Cousin and right hand man to Richard III. He was the second most powerful person in England during Richard’s reign.
Edward V
Elder of the two Princes in the Tower and heir to the throne after the Death of his father Edward IV. Briefly King although he was never crowned.
Richard Duke Of York
The younger of the two princes in the tower. Second in line to the throne after his brother Edward V.
Edward V is one of only 4 English Monarchs since the 11th Century, who did reign long enough to be officially crowned.
The building of the Tower of London began in the 1070’s during the reign of William The Conqueror.
Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham was cousin to both Richard III and Henry VII of England.
The younger of the two princes in the Tower, Richard, was the first to be given the title Duke of York in 1474. From this date onwards, it became tradition that the second son of any English monarch should given the title, Duke of York.
George Duke of Clarence, brother to Edward IV and Richard III was tried and privately executed for treason in 1478. Rumour has it that the Duke was in fact disposed of, by drowning him in a butt of Malmsey Wine.
- Producer & Director JOANNE LUNT
- Series Producer RICHARD SATTIN
- Executive Producer CARL HALL
- Director of Production DANNY TIPPING
- Unit Manager PETER GUEST
- Director of Photography HAYDN DENMAN
- Sound Recordists DEREK EDWARDS
- Narrator STRUAN RODGER
- Editor ZILKE LEMMER
- Original Music LENNY WILLIAMS CHRIS BIONDO
- Facilities BARCUD DERWEN
- Online Editor EMYR JENKINS
- Dubbing Mixers ROBERT THOMPSON RUSS SKELLON
- Associate Producer ELENA CAPURRO
- Production Coordinator EMILY RUDGE
- Production Team DELMI THOMAS EITHNE McCRORY ELLIE DAVIS JO CLARK JO-JO ELLISON SEAN WHEATLEY
- Drama Director BEN MOLE
- Drama Line Producer JENNY THOMPSON
- Director of Photography PETER ALLIBONE
- Production Designer JO MANSER
- Art Director RUSSELL DALY VERITY SCOTT
- Special Thanks DR LESLEY BOATWRIGHT DR LIVIA VISSER-FUCHS ETON COLLEGE LIBRARY THE RICHARD III SOCIETY RECUEIL D’ARRAS
Sorry, Ricardian, but I don't follow. Is there any reason to give a foreign report less weight than an English one? If anything, I should have thought the reverse, since those living sdafely abroad could speak without fear of reprsal, whether from Richard or Henry. ...
By Mikestone. 2011-07-14reply
Good beginning comment above. Richard was never reported to have begrudged his nephews in any way. However, Edward V would now be king, and being the studious scholar that he was, could he now handle the upcoming agression by Tudor and France? I believe that Richard was very worried and had just spent the winter with his brother discussing what to do about the French issue. Putting them out of the way would be an obvious choice - but murder? Check out my new book 'To Know a Lion by His Claws' on the subject and entertain new theorizing to this famous mystery. Also, www.princesinthetower.com gives introductory information for curious historians to consider. ...
By mysterysolver. 2010-11-23reply
I dont think the killer was richard because : If Richard did kill the princes then he would be killing his own nephews! Richard could have killed them so they wouldn’t come into power, but he had no need to do that because he had already said that the princes were illegitimate. But Henry did have a reason because if he killed Richard then the princes would just come into power straight after, so he HAD to kill them. ...
By Berry Files . 2010-07-14reply
Richard III had NO reasonto kill them... But Henry Tuder had EVERY reason. what happened in th 'Wars Of The Roses' could give us a clue. ...
By gundam146. 2010-06-29reply
The producers are wrong to suggest in their summary that "as the news [of their disappearance] started to spread, cries of murder were heard across England." During extensive researches for my book, "Richard III: The Maligned King" (see pages 152-155), I was able to find only one contemporaneous English document that claimed the boys were "put to silence" during Richard's reign (although it doesn't suggest by whom). All other surviving sources are either foreign or written during the reigns of the Tudors. ...
By Ricardian. 2010-05-20reply
best programe of the series ........but then it was my sons who were the princes. love the series well done all. ...
By idomon. 2010-02-06reply
Surely they could at least test if they were related to the current royals, at least we would know if they were possibly the princes. Or perhaps there have been too many generations passed to be sure? Or perhaps that might open up a whole other kettle of fish to do with the royals current blood line and legitimacy... ...
By kingsroad. 2010-02-04reply
Really ????? I suppose yes that it is logical, whats the point testing bones if haven't got any DNA to test it against. ...
By Camelot2010. 2010-02-04reply
One of the reasons the Royal family won't allow the bones to be tested is because they don't have anything to DNA test the bones against. You would need to exhume another Royal, preferably from the female line to extract their DNA. The other reason is probably because they don't want us to find out that the bones in the urn aren't actually the Princes! ...
By MysteryObsessed. 2010-02-04reply
I reckon it was Buckingham. He was unstable and started a rebellion against RIII... I think he saw the kings falling in the War of the Roses and realised he had a shot at the crown. And went for it. ...
By kingsroad. 2010-02-04reply