Finding Richard

Richard's bones will eventually be buried, although where that will be has yet to be decided. There are several contending locations, all of which want him buried in their grounds

The group, who want Richard to be buried in York, have many opponents. The Dean of Leicester has called their challenge "disrespectful," and a mathematician has said that Richard may have millions of living relatives therefore the Plantagenet Alliance have no right to choose his burial place

The idea is popular with a spokesman from the University saying that, "It will help people learn about the city's medieval history". It is also popular with the Chamber of Commerce saying "... what Richard III can do for the visitor numbers to our city, and the economic impact that can have on leisure and tourism." One can see why Leicester are not eager to part with their valuable asset

The test results did not match the date of Richard's death, however, it was found that the body had consumed a great amount of seafood during its life and this is known to affect the results of carbon-dating tests. Taking this into account, further analysis has determined that there is a 95% probability that the bones were buried sometime between 1450 and 1540

In addition to the head wounds, which would not have occurred if a helmet had been worn, analysis found injuries to the ribs and pelvis. Both of these areas would have been protected by the armour Richard wore. It is thought that the wounds were made after Richard's death when his body had been stripped of its armour. Accounts of the time say that Richard was stripped naked and tied to a horse where it was struck by his victorious foes

Westminster Abbey is the traditional resting place for English monarchs with 17 other kings buried there. Richard's links to the city of York suggest York Minster as a possible burial site, and Richard is said to have wanted to be buried there. Leicester is where Richard's body was found and the authorities are loath to release it. The Mayor of Leicester is quoted as saying, "Those bones leave Leicester over my dead body"

John Mann, the MP for Worksop, made the suggestion but nobody took it seriously. Another MP, Chris Skidmore, has said that Richard should receive a state funeral, as befits a king

Thinking it unlikely that Richard's body would ever be found, Buckley had promised to eat his hat if it were discovered. Questioned about his promise Buckley said, "One of my colleagues made me some hat-shaped cakes. I've eaten one of those"

Professor Wilkinson is a specialist in facial reconstruction based on surviving bones. The face that she made bears a striking resemblance to portraits of Richard III and further supports the likelihood of the bones belonging to the late king

It was initially thought that the metal might be an arrow head which had been lodged in the body, but tests showed that it was in fact a nail. It was from a much earlier period than Richard's lifetime and had no relevance to the find