In 1674, workers at the Tower of London discovered a wooden box hidden beneath a staircase.

Inside were the skeletons of two young children, widely believed to be Edward V and Richard, the infamous “Princes in the Tower,” whose disappearance in 1483 has haunted British history for over five centuries.

The bones were interred in Westminster Abbey, and for centuries, the royal family refused to allow any scientific testing. But now, in a historic move, DNA analysis has finally been permitted, and the results have solved England’s greatest cold case.

To understand the significance, we must revisit the chaos of 1483. After decades of civil war between the Houses of Lancaster and York, Edward IV had secured peace and left behind two sons.

When Edward IV died suddenly, his twelve-year-old son Edward V became king, with his nine-year-old brother Richard as heir. Their uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was appointed Lord Protector.

However, a bitter struggle for power erupted between Richard and the Queen’s family, the Woodvilles. Richard seized custody of the boys and placed them in the Tower of London—ostensibly for their protection and coronation preparations. But soon, they vanished from public view.

Richard then orchestrated a legal coup. Through a sermon and parliamentary maneuvering, he declared the princes illegitimate, claiming their father’s marriage was invalid.

Within weeks, Richard was crowned King Richard III. The boys, now a threat to his rule, disappeared. Shakespeare’s later portrayal of Richard as a ruthless villain solidified the popular belief that he ordered their deaths, but defenders (Ricardians) have long argued this was Tudor propaganda, pointing out that others—like Richard’s ally Buckingham or the future Henry VII—also had motives.

The discovery of the bones in 1674 seemed to confirm the princes’ fate, but doubts persisted. Some believed the boys escaped, others thought impostors like Perkin Warbeck were one of the princes. For centuries, the truth remained elusive.

Now, advanced DNA techniques have provided answers. Scientists extracted mitochondrial DNA (inherited from the mother) from the teeth and petrous bones of the skeletons, comparing it to a living descendant of Elizabeth Woodville’s sister.

The match was perfect, confirming the children were indeed Elizabeth’s sons. Next, Y-chromosome analysis (inherited from the father) compared the boys’ DNA to that of Richard III, whose remains were identified and sequenced in 2012.

Shockingly, the Y-DNA did not match, indicating a “false paternity event” somewhere in the royal line. While this raises questions about legitimacy, it does not affect the identification—the boys are undeniably the princes.

Radiocarbon dating further pinpointed their deaths to late 1483 or early 1484, ruling out Henry VII, who did not seize the throne until 1485. The timeline also makes Buckingham an unlikely culprit.

The only person with custody, motive, and opportunity during this window was Richard III. The scientific evidence—DNA and carbon dating—has ended centuries of speculation: the princes did not escape, impostors were not the real boys, and the skeletons in the urn are the lost princes.

This breakthrough rewrites a pivotal chapter in British history. Richard III, once defended by some as innocent, stands revealed as the likely perpetrator. The tragic story of Edward and Richard is finally closed by science, giving the princes justice after 500 years. The DNA has spoken, and the mystery is solved.