This is the story that gave rise to the myth that Richard III had killed his nephews, the two princes and sons of his beloved brother, Edward IV.

Upon the sudden death of his father, the king, on 9 April 1483, young Edward V was sent to Ludlow Castle, near Wales, for the purpose of his education. Accompanying him on the journey were his maternal uncle and governor, Anthony Woodville and Edward V's half-brother, Sir Richard Grey, plus a small contingent. The reason the young heir to the throne was travelling with his maternal uncle was because Queen Elizabeth Woodville ignored the late king's dying declaration appointing his own brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, as Lord Protector of the Realm, which included the young king. Edward IV made a point of announcing his brother the new Lord Protector, in the presence of his Queen and others, and as his appointment was given before his death, it was to be adhered to as written law. With Edward IV gone, Elizabeth Woodville had not wasted a moment re-allocating the king's charge and naming her own brother, Anthony Woodville, as Lord Protector. The Woodville's had a history of being devoted Lancastrians and merely tolerated the Yorkist brothers due to Elizabeth's marriage to the Yorkist king. Richard, loyal to his brother, both as a brother and as king, had accepted Edward's final decision as law and chose to disregard the arrogance of the Queen. The defiance of Elizabeth's disregard for her husband's wishes caused Richard to question her motives, and he feared the Woodvilles were attempting to undermine him. In haste, Richard made plans to fully enact his given position, never to betray his brother's wishes despite Elizabeth's, the king's widow and soon to be mother of a king, obvious dislike toward Richard. Immediately, Richard and his company set out to intercept Edward V's progress.

Edward V and his contingent were interrupted at Stony Stratford by his paternal uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham. On 29 April, Richard and Buckingham met the young king's maternal uncle, Anthony Woodville, at Northampton. The men spent the evening together in friendly conversation and on the following morning, Woodville was arrested. Richard then proceeded to Stony Stratford, where young Edward was staying, and arrested the young king's half-brother, Richard Grey, and the king's chamberlain, Thomas Vaughan. Both Anthony Woodville and Richard Grey, despite their innocent pleas, were taken north and, afterward, executed upon Richard's orders. Young Edward was now in the custody of his uncle Richard and Buckingham. The young king at first objected to Richard as Lord Protector and tried to relieve him from that position, however, Richard explained, showing the king due regard, that his assignment as Lord Protector was the wish of Edward's father, and that the Woodvilles were planning to harm him, the Duke of Gloucester, if not kill him. With Richard's duty as guardian of the young king now understood, they continued on with Edward V's progress to London.

Elizabeth Woodville grew furious at news of the occurance at Stony Stratford and immediately sought sanctuary at Westminster Abbey with her daughters and her younger son, Richard, Duke of York. Meanwhile, the Duke of Gloucester and Buckingham soon entered London with the young king and a large army from the north. Word travelled quickly and panic spread amongst the people, surprised by the events that had taken place and the notion of a possible coup. King Edward IV had been much loved by the people who had not warmed yet to the Queen nor the Woodvilles, thus, most would be loyal to Edward's son as they were to his father. The Duke of Gloucester offered the explanation that a Woodville conspiracy was, in fact, in place targeting himself and other Yorkist nobles. The explanation was accepted and fears seemed to be allayed. But, was there a need for such an explanation? Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, was the rightful Lord Protector of the Realm and that position had been unjustly claimed by and for another. Despite that Edward V did not wish his paternal uncle to be his protector, it was confirmed by Edward IV as a dying declaration, a Last Will and Testament, so to speak and Richard was within his rights to take charge of the young king and arrest those responsible for "kidnapping" him. So here we have Richard being accused of usurping authority when, in fact, the authority was his and his alone. Assuming his responsibility as Lord Protector, it was Richard's duty to oversee the young king's safety at all times, which appeared to be, clearly, his objective.

The soon-to-be King, Edward V, was brought safely to the Tower of London, known at that time as the Garden Tower, to await his coronation. The Tower was used as a royal residence as well as a prison. Wanting his brother's company, Richard, Duke of York, left sanctuary at Westminster and was taken to join his brother in the Tower. Richard had been making provisions for Edward V's coronation at a meeting of the council on 13th June at the Tower. At this time Richard was still concerned of a conspiracy plotting against him. In the interim, however, an issue arose that would change the lives of Richard, Elizabeth Woodville, and Edward and Elizabeth's children, forever.

Bearing in mind that Richard was aware of the charge of illegitimacy concerning his brother, Edward IV; the claim of Edward not being the true son of Richard, Duke of York, but rather the son of an archer named Blaybourne, there is recently surfaced evidence that may confirm that Cecily Neville, wife of Richard, Duke of York, did have an affair with a common archer. There is, also, proof that Edward IV's marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was, indeed, illegitimate and of that fact Richard was wise. Edward and Elizabeth's children would, thus, be declared illegitimate, and as Edward V would not be the rightful heir to the throne, the lawful heir in his place would have been Richard, Duke of Gloucester. With the claim of illegitimacy effective and true, Richard had no reason, whatsoever, to harm the princes.

At a meeting of the council at the Tower on the thirteenth of June, arranged to discuss Edward V's coronation, Gloucester, the Lord Protector, had William, Lord Hastings suddenly and unexpectedly arrested on a charge of treason. Hastings, while he detested the Woodvilles, had been a close friend of Edward IV and would never have countenanced the disinheriting of his children. He was executed, without trial, the same day on a block of wood. The legitimacy of the young Edward V then began to be actively questioned, and the old claim of Edward IV not being the true son of Richard, Duke of York, was resurrected by Buckingham, who stated that the late King's true father had been the archer, Blaybourne. He also argued that the late King Edward IV's marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was invalid, due to Edward's previous plight of betrothal to Lady Eleanor Butler, rendering both Princes and their sisters as bastards. He then called on Richard to ascend the throne as the true heir of York, pointing out his resemblance to his father. After an initial feigned show of reluctance, Richard then accepted and was crowned in his nephew's place. Many saw through this dissembling, but since he was now all powerful, none were in a position to oppose him directly.

But Were the Two Princes Murdered?

The speculation is that the two princes, sons of Edward IV, Edward and Richard, were murdered, and murdered possibly by their Uncle, Richard III, in a dasterdly coup that would allow Richard to become king instead of his nephew, Edward V. First, how do we know that the two princes weremurdered? There is no definitive proof of that assumption, only documented hearsay. It seems appropriate to charge Richard with the gruesome deeds, believing that he had usurped the throne, stealing it away from his brother's son and rightful heir. If you believe it. There are, however, other things to be considered here. In Richard's defense, the Duke of Glouchester had a nagging suspicion that a conspiracy was afoot to do away with him, a plot thought by him to involve the family of Elizabeth Woodville whom, it was well-known, fervently despised Richard. Records show that Richard seems to have had the best interest in mind for Edward's family in the way of protecting them from the looming fate and chilling secrecy of betrayal. With Philippa Langley and her team of investigators researching new leades, it just may be possible the answers to this centuries-old mystery will soon come to light.