The king in the car park: Was it really Richard III?

One year on from the discovery of the king’s skeleton in a Leicester car park and two leading academics are doubting whether or not it was really Richard III. 

Professor Michael Hicks, Head of History at Winchester University, has slammed the radiocarbon dating and DNA tests performed on the skeleton, claiming they are by no means a guarantee that this individual was Richard III.

The dig site where Richard was exhumed

Hick suggests the DNA used to identify the skeleton, taken from living relatives, could have additionally matched up to any other descendants of the female line.

He says that scientists cannot be 100% sure because Richard’s grandmother had 16 grandchildren, leaving a number of other relatives in the picture.

Professor Hick also added that the radiocarbon dating that was carried out, is non-specific, as it only proves that the skeleton died in 80 year period surrounding the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. Plus, even if the death was a result of a battle, the injuries the body displays would have been similar to other individuals who fought in the battle.

facial reconstruction

When speaking to the BBC History Magazine, Hicks stated that many nobles ‘died violently in [the War of the Roses] conflicts…it is very hard to prove that the skeleton belongs to a specific person.’

Professor Martin Biddle, the director of Winchester Research Unit, has also declared that not enough further excavation work has taken place or been released to the public about where the skeleton was found, for a definitive conclusion to be reached.

In response, Philippa Langley, a member of the Richard III Society who commissioned the dig, responded through the BBC History Magazine, saying ‘perhaps [Professor Hick] could name one [other person] who fits the bill?’

A University of Leicester spokesperson has also released a statement claiming: ‘the strength of the identification is that different kinds of evidence all point to the same result. Professor Hicks is entitled to his views but we would challenge and counter them.’

A poll carried out by Historyextra,com, currently has 85% of the votes agreeing that Richard III was really discovered in the Leicester, with a mere 15% saying that they either did not know or disagreed with this verdict.

Regardless of the debate over the validity of the results the king’s funeral crown has gone on display at Tewkesbury Abbey.

Do you think the skeleton found in the car park was Richard III? Let us know below.