In the midst of the bloody and violent history of the tower of London, a sad and intriguing event continues to confuse historians. The story of the two royal princes who disappeared from the tower is partly the stuff of legend and partly the stuff of history. The princes were royal brothers, Edward V and Richard, the young Duke of York.

Edward and Richard were the young sons of King Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth. Edward was born in 1470 and his younger brother Richard came into the world in 1473. In 1483, the War of the Roses was nearing its end and the nation thought quieter times were ahead. Then King Edward IV died. By default, Edward V became the boy king. Being so young, Edward the boy would need a regent until he became Edward the man.

Enter Uncle Richard, better known as Richard, Duke of Gloucester. Richard was the late king’s brother and trusted friend. Who better than he to look after the two young princes and keep them safe from harm? The late king had declared his desire that Richard be the boy’s regent just before he died. This made Queen Elizabeth very unhappy as she despised Richard and wanted the job for herself.

The problem with Queen Elizabeth was a lack of loyalty from the public and the people at court due to the rumors that her sons were illegitimate. Apparently, King Edward had been married to another woman when he married Elizabeth and although the boys were Edward’s, the marriage was a matter of bigamy and therefore illegal under English law. This made the boys illegitimate and put their right to the throne in question.

The king had died in April and the coronation of the new king was set for June 22. At the time, the Tower of London held royal apartments and this is where Edward and his brother Richard were heading to so they could prepare for the upcoming coronation. In accordance with tradition, the royal party would leave the tower, cross London and make their way to Westminster Abbey for the crowning ceremony. On June 16 the royal party was intercepted by Uncle Richard and the young king was taken to the tower where he was soon joined by his young brother.

On June 25, 1483, the two young princes were determined to be illegitimate by the English parliament and stripped of their royal stature. This made Uncle Richard next in line for the throne and he gladly accepted the nomination the same day. June 25 is the last day anyone saw the two princes alive. Richard’s coronation took place on July 6, 1483 when he assumed the throne as King Richard III. Two years later, on August 22, 1485 King Richard III was killed in the battle of Bosworth Field against the house of Tudor who subsequently took over the royal seat.

To this day, no-one knows what happened to the 12 and 9 year old princes. Although Richard and his cronies remain the most probable suspects, the disappearance of the princes was not

Medieval Store Cuirass with Tassets Medieval Salade with Bevor King Henry Jousting Helmet Rerebrace, Vambrace, Couter

necessary for him to become king. The presumption is the boys were murdered in the tower and their bodies secretly removed by boat at night to an undisclosed burial ground. Or perhaps, their small corpses were simply dropped weight-laden into the Thames. Nobody knows. The mystery remains and the story of the two princes in the tower will always be remembered as a symbol of the corruption and evil that too much power can bring.

Tags: 1470, 1473, 1483, Battle of Bosworth Field, Couter, Cuirass with Tassets, Death of Richard III, Duke of Gloucester, Duke of York, Edward IV, Edward V, King Henry Jousting Helmet, King Richard III, Medieval Salade with Bevor, Medieval Store, Prince Edward V, Queen Elizabeth, Rerebrace, Richard of York, Tower of London, Two Princes and the Tower of London, Vambrace, War of the Roses