The disappearance of Princes Edward and Richard in 1483 has captured imaginations for centuries - does a new Channel 5 documentary finally reveal what happened to them?
Channel 5 documentary, Princes in the Tower: A Damning Discovery, not only brings back to life one of the most infamous crimes in English history, but suggests it has fresh evidence to support what really happened to the missing Princes. At the ages of nine and twelve, the deposed King Edward V of England and his younger brother Prince Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, were taken to the Tower of London under the protection of their uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester.
Soon afterwards, the children vanished and their fate has remained a mystery - possibly until now. Historians, authors and TV shows have countlessly recounted the tale of the Princes and theorised what could've happened to them, and it's widely believed they were killed by their uncle. However, a new discovery covered by the documentary presented by Jason Watkins and Tracy Borman, offers fresh support relating to suspicion around the main protagonists - does a long-forgotten will hold the key to finding the answers after so many centuries?
What is the new evidence about the Princes in The Tower?
Professor Tim Thornton, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Huddersfield, is the person to have discovered new evidence in the case. Thornton has found documentation that a chain, once a treasured possession of Edward V, was later owned by the half sister of Sir James Tyrell's wife, Anne.
Sir James Tyrell was very loyal to Richard III, and nobody can be sure how his wife's half sister, Lady Margaret Capell, came to be in possession of the chain. However, her will states: "I bequeath to my sonne Sir Giles his fadres Cheyne which was Yonge kynge Edward the Vth." The wealthy widow wrote her will 33 years after the Princes disappeared.
The piece is a royal chain of office, a priceless artefact that would've been not only irreplaceable, but always linked with its owner - there would've never been any doubt about to whom it belonged. Although Richard lll has always been a frontrunner in theories relating to the Princes' possible murder, Sir James Tyrell's name was at one time added to the mix when Sir Thomas More alleged he'd hired two men to kill the boys. However, historians have always largely dismissed this theory as Tudor propaganda until now.
This discovery adds renewed clout to the theory Tyrell was actually involved. Professor Thornton says, "The identification of the chain is significant as powerful men of that time wore collars or chains made out of precious metals as expressions of their identities. These chains would have carried symbols or badges of their associations and loyalties and of who they were, so this is a very personal possession of the King, clearly identified as his and it is in the hands of Margaret Capel."
Explaining further, he adds, "There are various possible reasons for the chain passing into the hands of the Capel family. Some are neutral or benign, perhaps part of a process of dispersing the goods of the princes once their status had changed. But the connection with Sir James Tyrell adds to the probability that the two boys had died in the way that has traditionally been described."
The Professor concludes: "The debate over Richard III’s responsibility for the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower will no doubt run and run, but we now have a unique reference to the survival of an object that was very personal to Edward V to add into the mix. It’s exciting to be able to shed further light on one of the most controversial and mysterious episodes in British history."
Sean Cunningham, Head of Collections (Medieval & Early Modern) at The National Archives, offer his opinion on the discovery. He says, "Margaret’s reference to a chain once owned by the uncrowned teenage king Edward V is a new piece of evidence that raises more questions than it answers.
Edward vanished from public view within the walls of the Tower in summer 1483 – thirty-three years before this will was written. It is fascinating to speculate how the Capell family came to own an expensive piece of jewellery that once belonged to Edward during his short life and why it was identified in this specific way, such a long time after his disappearance."
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