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.

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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 were murdered? There is no definite proof of that assumption, only documented hearsay. It seems appropriate to charge Richard with the gruesome deeds for he had, evidently, usurped the throne, stealing it away from his brother's son and rightful heir. 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 who fervently despised Richard. It may be fair to say that she, at this point, despised her own husband, the king, who had a commanding presence before the ladies including a possible illegitimate heir through a mistress, Jane Shore, also the mistress of Lord Hastings. There was a score to settle with this notion and Elizabeth was the perfect type to seek revenge, in her own sinister way.

 

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• Richard the Protector
• Richard in Spirit
• How King Richard Ruled His Kingdom

• Richard ~ A Poem
• A Spiritual Journal
• www.revealingrichardiii.com