Evidence Found On The Murdered Two Princes In The Tower

The discovery of a will is considered as the "smoking gun" evidence in the unsolved murder case of the Princes in the Tower, historians believe.

This case is about uncrowned Edward V and his younger brother Prince Richard, who both disappeared in 1483 from the Tower of London without a trace. Despite attempts to solve the crime, it was believed that the princes were murdered on the orders of their uncle, Richard III.

The discovery of the will shows that the prime suspect in the murders left a piece of Edward V’s jewellery to his sister-in-law.

The chain – likely to have been a chain of office, a golden symbol of status and his prized possession – was part of Lady Margaret Capell’s estate. She is related to Sir James Tyrell, who was a trusted knight of Richard III and believed by many to be responsible for the murder under his orders.

Professor Tim Thornton, a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Huddersfield, uncovered the find in Lady Margaret’s previously overlooked will.

In the 1522 document, she left her son his "faders Cheyne which was young king Edwarde Vth" (his father’s chain which was young King Edward V's).

Tracy Borman, the historian who oversees the Tower of London as co-curator of Historic Royal Palaces, said the "extremely exciting" find gave credibility to the theory the boys were murdered on the orders of their uncle.

"This chain provides a vital link to the young Edward V, and the fact that it was in the possession of someone closely linked with one of the prime suspects in their presumed murder could be hugely significant," she said.

She called it the "smoking gun" in the case.

The discovery backs up Prof. Thornton’s previous written work on Sir Thomas More, a former lord chancellor, who blamed Richard III for the princes' deaths.

The research is being published in the journal History and will be revealed in Channel 5 documentary "The Princes in the Tower: A Damning Discovery."

"Historians don’t work on the basis of beyond reasonable doubt," Prof. Thornton added.

"We have to work on the evidence that survives. We work on the balance of probabilities and increasingly that balance of probabilities is tilting towards the suggestion that Richard is responsible for the boys' deaths and the account given by More is more likely than not to be true."