Allan Barton examines the historical mystery surrounding the disappearance of Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury. By analysing the 1674 discovery at the Tower of London and the subsequent 1933 scientific investigation of the remains, the inquiry explores whether these findings provide definitive evidence regarding the fate of the two young royals.
Inside a sealed marble urn in Westminster Abbey lie two small skeletons. The Latin inscription states plainly that these are the bones of Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York — the Princes in the Tower — murdered on the orders of their uncle, Richard III. But where did these bones actually come from, how did they end up in Westminster Abbey, and is there any real proof they belong to the lost princes at all?
In this video I trace the whole story: the disappearance of the two boys from the Tower of London in 1483, the case for and against Richard III's guilt, the extraordinary 1674 discovery of two child skeletons beneath a staircase during demolition work at the Tower, Sir Christopher Wren's marble urn commissioned by Charles II, and the little-known 1933 examination by Lawrence Tanner and Professor William Wright — an investigation that raised as many questions as it answered. I also look at why, despite modern DNA science (the same science that identified Richard III's own remains under a Leicester car park in 2012), the urn has not been reopened since 1933, and likely never will be.
If you're interested in the Wars of the Roses, Plantagenet history, or one of England's great unsolved mysteries, this one's for you.
00:00 Introduction — what's inside the urn?
00:56 Edward IV's death and the fall of the princes
04:30 The traditional account: Thomas More and Richard III
05:47 The case for and against Richard III's guilt
08:12 1674: the discovery beneath the Tower staircase
10:10 Christopher Wren's urn and the Westminster Abbey inscription 11:05 1933: the urn is opened
11:50 What the examination could — and couldn't — prove
14:16 Modern forensic reanalysis and the Richard III DNA connection 16:00 Why the urn has never been reopened
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