Some months ago I reported the finding of Richard III's supposed remains in Leicester on the site of the old church of Grey Friars monastery, now a municipal car-park.t
Yesterday, following DNA testing and carbon dating to be sure, the archaeologists announced that the skeleton uncovered is indeed that of Richard III, the last King of England to bear the name Plantagenet.(Not really the last Plantagenet though because Henry VIII had a pretty good share of Plantagenet blood in him).
In my previous blog I pointed out the perils of being a historical novelists when the facts get in the way of a good story and was preparing to eat my hat but looking at the photos of the skeleton this morning I'm am not so sure I should be in a hurry to do so. My identification of the 1475 portrait of ST Ivo as being possible a painting of the young Richard of Gloucester might still be correct. Although the skeleton indicates that the King was not a hunchback in the strictly medical sense the marked curvature of the spine, about half-way down his back, does match the position of the 'hump' in the portrait which is not at the top of the shoulder but some way below the shoulder-blade. I am therefore not going to eat my hat just yet.
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