Princes in the Tower: A Mystery of Missing Royalty

Were the boys murdered by their uncle, King Richard III?

What happened to the Princes in the Tower is one of England’s biggest mysteries of all time.

One of the most enduring scandals in England’s history took place in 1483 when two princes in the Tower of London disappeared under the care of their uncle, King Richard III. The older prince was soon to be crowned King of England, but his accession never happened. No one living today knows exactly what happened to these two boys. However, the circumstances of their disappearance were very suspicious, indeed.

The Princes

Prince Edward, or King Edward V, was the oldest son of King Edward IV and next in line to be King of England. His mother was Queen Elizabeth Woodville. Edward was born in Westminster Abbey in 1470 and sent to Ludlow Castle to be educated.

Tower of London in the present day. (Jim Gateley/CC BY-SA 3.0)

Prince Richard, the 1st Duke of York, was Edward’s younger brother and the second son of Edward IV and his queen. Richard was married to the five-year-old Anne Mawbry when he was just four.

The princes had a half-brother on their mother’s side, who also plays into the story of their disappearance. His name was Lord Richard Grey.

Death of King Edward IV

King Edward IV died of natural causes on April 9, 1483. His son Edward was twelve at the time and Richard was ten. The death of his father made young Edward king. Because they were so young, their uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester was named Lord Protector of King Edward V and Richard, Duke of York, upon the death of King Edward IV.

The coronation ceremony of Edward V was to be held on June 22, 1483. At the time of his father’s death, he was at Ludlow Castle. He left there for the Tower of London, where his coronation was to begin. He was accompanied by his half-brother and Lord William Hastings, among others.

Portrait of King Edward V. (Public Domain).

Interception of the Young King’s Entourage

The Duke of Gloucester and a group of his ‘co-conspirators’ intercepted the King Edward V’s entourage in Stony Stratford. This resulted in the arrest and imprisonment of Lord Richard Grey. Lord William Hastings was later beheaded when the duke accused him of conspiring to assassinate him.

King Edward V was taken from Stony Stratford to St. Paul unharmed and under the premise that he was still to be crowned king. His little brother, Richard was taken to Westminster Abbey with their mother. Edward was later brought to the Tower of London where he was supposed to be. Young Richard met him there on June 16, 1483.

Legitimacy of the Princes Comes Into Question

It was alleged that King Edward IV was engaged to Lady Eleanor Talbot before he married Elizabeth Woodville. Though the couple apparently never married, this engagement would have made the king’s marriage illegal. Marriages that were illegal, or acts of bigamy, were considered null and void. If the marriage was illegal, the children of that marriage would have been illegitimate.

King Richard III … the murderer? (Public Domain)

These accusations worked to the Duke of Gloucester’s advantage when, on June 25, 1483, Parliament concluded that the engagement had taken place. Therefore, the princes were not legitimate heirs to the throne. In light of this, Richard, Duke of Gloucester was made King Richard III. He went on to have a lover of his late brother, Jane Shore, imprisoned in the Tower of London. Apparently, he wasn’t happy with his brother’s love life.

At some point after both princes arrived at the Tower of London, they both vanished …