#1483

Bouftou Royal from Dofus

"I think I never won over that boss"

Royal Autumn 2024 Photo Challenge

Day 13: Favorite Photos of Royals with Ancestors

Photos 1 and 2; Princess Margaret and Prince Arthur of Connaught, children of Prince Arthur Duke or Connaught and Grandchildren of Queen Victoria, dressing up as distant ancestors King Edward V of England and Prince Richard Duke of York for a Tableaux

Photo 3: Drawing of King Edward V and Prince Richard done by descendant Princess Alice Grand Duchess of Hesse and By Rhine, third child of Queen Victoria

A brief history of these two brothers, most commonly known as “The Princes In The Tower” is as followed: When King Edward IV died, his eldest son Edward automatically became king but as he was only 12 years old, a regent monarch would need to rule until he became an adult. Edward and his party started to make the journey from Wales (where he was being educated to be the future king) to London but were intercepted by Richard Duke of Gloucester’s party who took custody and control of him and his party. Richard, who was King Edward IV’s brother and Edward V’s paternal uncle, was declared regent after the dying Edward IV wished it to be so and eventually had three members of Edward V’s party executed and placed Edward V in the Tower of London to have complete control over the young king. Despite pleas from mother Elizabeth Woodville, who took her remaining children into sanctuary at Westminster Abbey, her younger son Richard was eventually taken away from her and was placed in the tower with his brother. This was in May of 1483. A coronation for Edward was to be immediately planned as this is what would allow Richard to be a legal protectorate but it was repeatedly postponed by Richard himself.

In June of 1483, it was declared from parliament that all children of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville were illegitimate and the same with the children of brother of the former king George Duke Of Clarence (who was already dead at this time) so Richard was seen as the legitimate king and a day later acceded to the throne as Richard III. After Richard became king, the princes were taken into the inner apartments of the Tower and were seen less and less until the Autumn of 1843 when they disappeared from public view entirely. After the young princes disappearance, it was widely accepted that they were killed on the orders of their Uncle Richard and were smothered to death in their sleep, this theory is most accurate because Richard had complete access to them and men so loyal that they would do anything for their king.

In 1674, close to two hundred years later, two sets of skeletons resembling two children were found by workers who were rebuilding a staircase in the Tower. King Charles II ordered that the bones be placed in an urn marked with the children’s names on it which was located in Westminster Abbey until 1933 when it was reopened to be examined under the orders of King George V. Some animal bones were found within these two sets of children’s skeletons and since in 1933 modern DNA testing wasn’t invented yet, the tomb was closed. Further reopening the tomb and testing has been denied, so ultimately we still do not factually know if these are the true Princes in the Tower

The Birth of Venus (1483-1485) 🎨 Sandro Botticelli 🏛️ Uffizi Gallery 📍 Florence, Italy