You heard it here first. As I reported back in October, a body was discovered under a car park in Leicestershire, England that was thought to be that of King Richard III. It seems that one version of what happened to his body had him buried under the church that used to be there, while the other story was that his body was dismembered and scattered around.

As you may recall, there are many people who currently don’t believe that Richard III was such a bad guy after all, including the folks who run that Richard III museum I went to in York, England. So, after they found a body thought to be Richard III, the argument went that if this body indeed turned out to be his, it was then proof that in his own time he didn’t have such a bad reputation, as he had actually been buried in an honored spot under the choir in the church after all.

So  — after building anticipation with press releases all weekend saying there was going to be an announcement — the researchers announced today that DNA testing has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt (emphasis theirs, not mine) that the body they found is indeed that of Richard III. You can read an article about it here.

I don’t really follow all the logic, but apparently for the people who believe that Richard III is just a misunderstood guy, proving that this was his body also proves somehow that he didn’t actually murder his nephews, the two little princes who disappeared in the Tower of London.

Of course, as it turns out, the bodies of two children who were found years ago in the Tower of London have never been conclusively proven to be those two nephews of Richard III anyway. Although the tomb where they are now buried labels them as such, in fact no one is certain the two bodies are even that of two boys. Now that they have a DNA match for Richard III, it would also be possible to test the remains of the two children to determine if, in fact, they are the missing nephews of Richard III. I’m not quite sure what happens if they really turn out to be his nephews, but that is at the moment a moot point. Queen Elizabeth will not allow  DNA testing on those remains – she’s refused for years.

So, the plot thickens – intrigue in the palace and all that.

In any case, there is apparently no argument: regarding Richard III, we now know where the body was buried. And where he will now be buried going forward, too. Despite calls from societies that support a rehabilitated memory of Richard III to have him re-interred  in either Westminster Abbey,  as befits a king of England, or in York, as befits “this son of York,” his body will be buried in nearby Leicester Cathedral.

However, the jury is still out on the fate of the memory of Richard III.

I shall despair. There is no creature loves me;
And if I die, no soul will pity me:
Nay, wherefore should they, since that I myself
Find in myself no pity to myself?
— Shakespeare, Richard III. Act V Scene III