Breaking News!!!! Richard III's Body Found!

bb1 wrote:I'm sure I recall LL saying there wasn't supposed to be another Richard, Duke of Gloucester, but the current Duke's older brother died in an accident?

It's fascinating how much general wierdness there is to do with Richard III; I read recently that it began just hours after his death.

Apparently, the Portuguese princess he was negotiating to marry was told in a dream that he was dead, long before news of Bosworth reached Portugal.  

My Theory is that he was so angry at the manner of his death, and what came after, that he hasn't actually Rested In Peace........

lily wrote:I don't mean to take this thread off course, but look at the similarities between the late Prince William and the present one.   

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2057873/The-Prince-William-The-uncanny-parallels-Wills-dashing-doomed-cousin-memory-named.html

Sandra Heath Wilson's report from Gloucester, on Richard's head:
'Well, the Richard III: Duke of Gloucester exhibition is up and running in Gloucester City Museum, and I had the pleasure of being there last night at the preview evening. I dragged my husband Rob along too. The Town Crier was out in the street making his presence known, and the queue went all down Brunswick Road and around the corner to the entrance of the multi-storey car park. At a guess about 75 yards from museum entrance to the corner. It was icy cold on that corner, I can tell you. Why does a cold wind always have to get colder and windier on a corner? And when you reach that corner, the queue stops moving, of course.
Anyway, we were all admitted at last, and it was deliciously warm and bright inside. It was packed. Plenty of nibbles and drinks in the museum shop, lots of chatter and excitement. Like a particularly noisy cocktail party. All the bigwigs of the county present—sheriff, mayor, council leader etc., gold chains glittering—and plenty of Richard mementos on sale, books, mugs, trinkets, you know the sort of thing. No one of Ricardian note that I recognised, but I’m not the most observant when it comes to faces.
Then, finally, we were allowed up to the first floor and the exhibition itself. And as we entered the room, the first thing we saw was the Head. Everyone gravitated to it, and luckily it is very accessible. It stands on a pedestal about 5’ or so high, protected by a glass case. You can go all around it and be only about 12” away, so the detail is all there to see. The first thing I thought was how very much better it is to actually see, than it is in photographs. You see the slight hollowing of his cheeks, for instance, which I had not picked up on before. The second thing that struck me was how delicate he looked. With all the talk of gracile bones and so on, well, you can definitely say that his face (which has to be reasonably accurate if it has been created around an exact copy of his skull and chin) is fine-boned, graceful and arresting. But very strong too. Perhaps it is the angle of the head...or perhaps that we know for a fact that he was strong, and in armour on a horse could beat the living daylights out of any opponent. Haul yourself up again, Sir John Cheyne. The mere thought of Richard whamming such a fit, experienced giant from his saddle is astonishing. And Richard’s lance was already broken! He may have looked as if made of porcelain, but he was ironstone inside.
Another exhibit is a mock-up of Richard’s skeleton, looking more or less as it does in all the photos we’ve seen. It is so realistic that it’s difficult to remember it’s not the real thing. And as a consequence it is not an easy sight for a dedicated Ricardian. Very moving. And very unsettling. I did not linger long, I’m afraid. Much better to look at the original 1484 charter that Richard granted to Gloucester. It is a very beautiful thing, one could only marvel at the precision and regularity of the tiny, close-packed writing and the magnificence of the illustrations. The seal was suspended as well. There were other documents, including one of Henry VII, in which he confirms Richard’s charter. His seal was there too.
The walls displayed various bits and pieces, portraits, family trees, photographs of original documents, samples of handwriting, a constantly playing video of how the Head was made, and so on. The NPG portrait was there, and a modern likeness. There was also a lot about the movement of the opposing armies around Gloucester just before Tewkesbury in 1471. Gloucester closed its gates to Margaret of Anjou and her Lancastrians, forcing them to go on to Tewkesbury (only a few miles away) and the bloody confrontation. I didn’t see anything about the Severn keeping the faithless, cheating Duke of Buckingham on the wrong side of its banks, a fact that was much to Richard’s advantage in 1483. So the Severn is occasionally good for something when it floods. One of the ‘explanations’ concerning documents told that while Richard’s responses to the city were couched in the usual flowery tone of the time, there are exceptional statements here and there that suggest he really was fond of Gloucester. Gloucester (city and county) wants it to be so, of course. No, I can’t say what the exceptional terms were, because they weren’t pointed out in detail. At least, not that I saw.
Then the Town Crier’s bell rang out and he shouted an introduction to the speechifying. He was heard in that crowded room, you have my word on it. The speeches, from persons wearing or associated with the glittering collars, were all in favour of Richard, with whom Gloucester is justifiably proud to be associated. His twenty-two years as our duke cannot be ignored. Plus, of course, there were regrets that he will not lie at rest here. Well, it was always an outside hope, but many of us would have liked it. I’d like to steal him from under the noses of both Leicester and York.
I have to say that the number of people attending (100-150) and their enthusiasm was very pleasing. There was a mix of ages and about equal male and female. Young girls (teenagers) wanted their photograph taken beside him, and it was clear that the interest in him is very strong here in Gloucester. The exhibition goes on until 30th March, when it moves on to Sudeley Castle, which also has associations with Richard, not least because he once owned it. He also stayed there before Tewkesbury.
So, that was my experience last night. We left before the end, because there are only so many times you can walk around and jostle through a scrum to see everything. But it was worth it, and I came home feeling even closer to Richard than I had been before. My husband remains bemused that a king who died over 500 years ago can still arouse such passions in this modern age. But that’s Richard. He doesn’t relinquish his hold...as we all know so well. Well, Rob should know that by now!'

It's a bizarre phenomena, LL. If you're ever bored, have a read of the reviews of anti-Richard books. Time and again, the writers are caught making errors of fact and chronology.