Archaeology & History

Richard III DNA casts doubt on royal lineage

By T.K. Randall
December 3, 2014 ·  43 comments

Portrait of Richard III housed at the National Portrait Gallery, London. Image Credit: PD When researchers first came across a skeleton buried underneath an otherwise unassuming car park in Leicester two years ago they dared not hope that what they'd found was actually the remains of the long lost 15th century king.

A detailed analysis of the bones and a comprehensive DNA test however soon confirmed that the skeleton did indeed belong to Richard III who was believed to have died during the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

The results of the analysis however also uncovered an unexpected discrepancy - while the DNA passed down on Richard's mother's side is a match for that of his modern day living relatives, the genetic information passed down on his father's side is not."We may have solved one historical puzzle, but in so doing, we opened up a whole new one," said genealogy specialist Professor Kevin Schurer.

"Hypothetically speaking, if John of Gaunt wasn't Edward III's son, it would have meant that (his son) Henry IV had no legitimate claim to the throne, nor Henry V, nor Henry VI."

While the discovery may have serious historical implications for the legitimacy of the royal line, researchers were keen to emphasize that the revelation does not invalidate the claim to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II or the other members of today's royal family.

"Royal succession isn't straightforward inheritance from fathers to sons, and/or daughters," said Professor Schurer. "History has taken a series of twists and turns."

Source: News.com.au | Comments (43)

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