King Richard III will be reburied in Leicester, the High Court has ruled

A judicial review into the final resting place of King Richard III has ruled that the University of Leicester has the right to reinter the king’s remains at England’s Leicester Cathedral.

Richard III, who ruled England from 1483 to 1485, died at the Battle of Bosworth Field and was buried in a hasty grave in Leicester. The exact location was lost to history until 2012, when archaeologists searching for the king’s bones excavated a parking lot and found the skeleton, its spine bent by scoliosis and its skull marred by battle wounds.

The decision, published today (May 23), is in response to a legal challenge by the Plantagenet Alliance, a group of indirect descendants and supporters who want a say in where King Richard III is reburied. The University of Leicester holds the excavation license for the king’s tomb, giving it the authority to re-interlace the bones according to standard archaeological practice. (See photos of the search for King Richard III)

“I am absolutely delighted that the High Court has ruled that our license to exhume is valid,” archaeologist Richard Buckley, who led the excavation that made the discovery, said in a statement. “We can now make arrangements for the remains of Richard III to be transferred from the University of Leicester to Leicester Cathedral, where they can be reburied with dignity and honor as befits the last Plantagenet king of England.”

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling echoed that delight in a statement today, although he said he was “frustrated and angry that the Plantagenet Alliance – a group with weak claims to be related to Richard III – has taken so much for a long time and public money. “

The Alliance, on their Facebook page today, responded to the decision: “We are naturally disappointed by the decision, but we are grateful to have had the opportunity to bring this nationally significant matter before the courts.”

Suitable grave?

The University’s plan has long been to rebury Richard’s bones in Leicester Cathedral and has released plans showing a spare raised tomb surrounded by stained glass.

But the Plantagenet Alliance and others disapproved. Many said they would like to see the King reburied in York, the city where he spent much of his life.

“We believe that such a funeral was the wish of the living King Richard,” the Alliance wrote in a statement explaining the “King Richard III Campaign”.

The posthumous fate of Richard III arouses passions, for the man himself has a bit of a cult following. Enthusiasts of Richard III, or Richardians, are fascinated by the king and his reign, and are often adamant about reclaiming him from Shakespeare’s portrayal as a heartless and evil villain.

“When you read about what Richard did with his parliament and how he conducted himself in military matters, you find an extraordinary character,” Wendy Moorhen, vice president of the Richard III Society, told Live Science last year.

Controversial king

Today’s High Court decision comes after much debate.

Hearings on the University’s reburial rights began in March. Advocates for the king not to be buried in Leicester have called for a public consultation with the views of the royal family, churches and those who claim to be relatives of the king. Richard III left no direct descendants, although the DNA from his bones matched the DNA of living descendants along his maternal line.

The King’s genetic material is another source of controversy. The University of Leicester has announced plans to fully sequence Richard III’s genome, which is giving some historians pause.

“Her Majesty the Queen would not allow any more royal remains to be exhumed or tested,” John Ashdown-Hill, an independent historian involved in the search for the bones, told Live Science in February.

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