Re-interment of King Richard III

bb1 wrote:Thanks for the reminder, LL, I don't know why, but I had the idea that that ceremony was Friday.

bb1 wrote:A true gentleman, LL!

bb1 wrote:Or a broadsword.

bb1 wrote:Bit too heavy for me, LL.

Richard III DNA tests uncover evidence of further royal scandal

Latest genetic tests reveal another break in the male line, potentially undermining the legitimacy of the entire House of Plantagenet

Ian Sample, science editor
Wednesday 25 March 2015 20.15 GMT Last modified on Wednesday 25 March 2015 20.18

When scientists revealed last year that an adulterous affair had apparently broken the male line in Richard III’s family tree, they vowed to investigate further.

But rather than clear up the mystery, their latest genetic tests have uncovered evidence of another royal sex scandal. This time, the indiscretion could potentially undermine the legitimacy of the entire House of Plantagenet.

The skeleton of Richard III, the last Plantagenet king, was discovered under a car park in Leicester in 2012. His identity was confirmed through his mitochondrial DNA, passed down through the maternal line from his sister to two relatives alive today.

But further DNA tests soon uncovered evidence of a family secret. It emerged when researchers at Leicester University compared the Y chromosomes of Richard III and five anonymous male relatives of Henry Somerset (1744-1803), who claim descent from Edward III, the great great grandfather of Richard III.

Since the Y chromosome is passed down from father to son, it should look the same in the descendants of Henry Somerset, the 5th Duke of Beaufort, and Richard III. But genetic tests found no sign of a match. Somewhere in the family between Richard III and the Somersets, at least one man had been cuckolded.

Speaking at the Science Museum in London on Wednesday, Turi King, a geneticist working on the case, revealed her team’s latest attempt to get to the bottom of the mystery. A man called Patrice de Warren, who lives in France, had come forward for genetic testing. He could trace his male line back to Richard III through the illegitimate son of Geoffrey, Count of Anjou (1113 - 1151).

King knew that if de Warren’s Y chromosome matched that of Henry Somerset’s, then the affair that broke the male line must have occurred between Edward III and Richard III. But if his Y chromosome matched Richard III’s, the male line was broken between Edward III and the Somersets.

The test result found neither. “De Warren’s Y chromosome doesn’t match Richard III or Henry Somerset, so somewhere along the line there’s been another false paternity event,” King told the Guardian. “It’s opened up the mystery even further.” Since the false paternity rate is around 1-2% in any generation, she said the result was not particularly surprising.

For all the scientists know, Patrice de Warren carries the ‘true’ Plantagenet Y chromosome, and those found in Richard III and the extended family of Henry Somerset were inherited from another man. “The problem is that we cannot say where the break occurs. All it tells us is that we have to keep looking, and that is what we are doing,” said Kevin Schürer, a genealogy expert at Leicester who is working on the case.

More likely than not, the freshly-discovered break in the male line occurred in the 22 generations that separate Patrice de Warren from Geoffrey, Count of Anjou. But if that branch of the tree is found to be intact, the consequences for the monarchy’s history become far more intriguing.

“If that turned out to be the case, and this is pure speculation, then there must have been a break between the Count of Anjou and Richard III. Which means that before we raise questions about the legitimacy of the Yorkist kings and the Lancastrian kings, there are questions higher up the line, raising doubts about nearly all of the Plantagenets,” said Schürer.

The latest findings do not impact on the modern monarchy at all, says King, because there are so many twists and turns in the way the throne is handed over. But depending on where the breaks happened, they could recast a crucial period in the history of the monarchy, affecting the Stuarts, the Tudors and the Windsors.

The investigation is not over yet. Schürer and King now want to test the Y chromosomes of other de Warrens in the US and Australia, and men in the extended Duke of Beaufort family, an option that has clear advantages over the alternative of exhuming lots of dead bodies and testing those. “The idea is to have a pincer movement and tackle it on a number of different fronts,” said Schürer. “We’re not going to give up the quest.”

The latest findings form part of a new exhibit at the Science Museum which describes the scientific discoveries around the life, death and DNA of King Richard III. The exhibit, which includes a 3D printed skeleton of the king, opens Wednesday, the day before the reinterment of his remains in Leicester.

Firm wins Richard III audio contract

By I_Griffin  |  Posted: March 24, 2015



Phill Beynon, technical director at NoiseBoys Technologies, with the speakers' control system

Hundreds of people attending the reburial of Richard III at Leicester Cathedral on Thursday will be able to hear the service loud and clear thanks to a Leicestershire firm.

NoiseBoys Technologies, of Lutterworth, have replaced 20 speakers with nine hi-tech ones, improving the sound quality of the building.

The contract – whose value is not being disclosed – was awarded as part of a £2.5 million revamp of the cathedral to accommodate the 15th century king's re-interment.

The speakers' control system is designed to be simple to use for the mainly non-technical cathedral staff or volunteers. Day-to-day control of the sound is achieved via a touch-screen tablet, with the whole system is connected by 1.8 miles of cabling, 90 per cent of which is hidden in the floor and ceiling.

Phill Beynon, technical director at NoiseBoys, said: "When we were successful in winning the contract, as a local company we were delighted and naturally very proud to play a part in such a unique set of proceedings.

"It was a tough selection process, and we had some very strong competitors. The challenge was to offer a more innovative approach, one that not only sounds great but that also visually compliments the new aesthetics of the cathedral.

"The outdated system that we replaced was not fit for purpose. Speakers had been added to over the years and none were ever removed, so we've been taking out some genuine antiques."

The Queen has written a special thank you to all those involved in the discovery and reburial of Richard III.


The monarch will not be at St Martin's tomorrow to witness the reinterment of the last Plantagenet King of England.

Instead she is due to be at Canterbury Cathedral with Prince Phillip at the unveiling of two statues to mark the Diamond Jubilee.

However, she has sent a personal message which will be included in the reinterment's order of service.

In it she will thank the people involved in the project and the reburial at Leicester Cathedral.

A spokesman said: "We're delighted that her Majesty the Queen has sent us this greeting in which she thanks all the people that have made this important occasion possible."

Richard III's funeral pall welcomed by traveling Ricardians

By PA_Warzynski  |  Posted: March 24, 2015


Artist Jacquie Binns and the pall she created

The black funeral pall which covers the coffin of King Richard III has been described as "magnificent" by visiting Ricardians.

The embroidered artwork was unveiled on Sunday as the remains of Richard III were welcomed into the cathedral.

Created by artist Jacquie Binns, it is decorated with images of a knight in armour, King Richard's queen in heraldic robes, and the faces of Sir Peter Soulsby, Philippa Langley, Richard Buckley and the Dean of Leicester, the Very Revd David Monteith.

It was draped over the lead-lined oak coffin by the descendants of four peers who fought both for and against Richard III at Battle of Bosworth in August 1485.

Artist Jacquie Binns said: "The commission was unique. It has been an honour and a pleasure to create the pall which tells both Richard's story and the story of those who found his remains and brought them to reburial."

A portable exhibit of the embroidered pall will form part of the permanent exhibition and interpretation programme at Leicester Cathedral.

Rob Smith, vice chairman of the New Zealand branch of the Richard III Society, was at the cathedral yesterday (TUES) to view the pall and coffin.

He said: "It's a magnificent piece of work, and John Ashdown-Hill's crown really set it off - it looked fantastic."

Sabot wrote:Some interesting stuff there, LL.

Lamplighter wrote:

Sabot wrote:Some interesting stuff there, LL.

Indeed, ma petite - did the link re channel 4 work for you?   LL

bb1 wrote:I'm sure it will be YouTubed pretty quickly, Sabot, it's only the BBC that is precious about not letting foreign types see their programmes.

I'm all set, LL, recorder on and Kleenex at the ready. I take it one doesn't have to wear a black hat in one's own home?