History Main / TheFateOfThePrincesInTheTower

Meanwhile, rumors indicate that King UsefulNotes/CharlesIII is far more willing to have the remains interred in Westminster Abbey subjected to modern forensic testing than his late mother was. All of this gives a glimmer of hope that new information might shed light on this 500-year-old ExtremelyColdCase.

The Richard III Society, inspired by their remarkable success in finding Richard's remains, has launched a new project to discover the fate of the princes, working to prove theory number five, specifically that the boys were sent away by Richard for their own safety. Meanwhile, rumors indicate that King UsefulNotes/CharlesIII is far more willing to have the remains interred in Westminster Abbey subjected to modern forensic testing than his late mother was. All of this gives a glimmer of hope that new information might shed light on this 500-year-old ExtremelyColdCase.

* In Eleanor Fairburn's Literature/TheWarsOfTheRosesQuartet, Richard III plans to send both boys to the North where he can keep an eye on them, but Edward V is ill and can't travel. A young boy, who is one of many illegitimate sons of Edward IV, joins Edward V as a companion, and they quickly bond. However, both of those boys soon die of a mysterious illness that Richard suspects is poison by the Duke of Buckingham. Richard realizes that this puts Richard of York in grave danger, so he sends the boy to his sister in Burgundy. However, the boy is not Perkin Warbuck, as that young boy is yet another illegitimate son of Edward IV.
* In Rosemary Hawley Jarman's novel "We Speak No Treason" Richard has sent the boys to a castle in the North for their own safety.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Like their book counterparts, Bran and Rickon Stark are inspired by the princes. They are betrayed by their protector Theon and disappear. Much like lore about the princes that says one was swapped out for a servant boy, Theon does this with Bran and Rickon and the servant boys are killed. [[spoiler: Eventually, Rickon does not survive, but in the show's ending Bran becomes king.]]

* In Eleanor Fairburn's Literature/TheWarsOfTheRosesQuartet, Richard III plans to send both boys to the North where he can keep an eye on them, but Edward V is ill and can't travel. A young boy, who is one of many illegitimate sons of Edward IV, joins Edward V as a companion, and they quickly bond. However, both of those boys soon die of a mysterious illness that Richard suspects is poison by the Duke of Buckingham. Richard realizes that this puts Ricahrd of York in grave danger, so he sends the boy to his sister in Burgundy. However, the boy is not Perkin Warbuck, as that young boy is yet another illegitimate son of Edward IV.

Edward V of England and his brother Richard of Shrewsbury were the young sons of [[UsefulNotes/EdwardIV King Edward IV]] and his consort Elizabeth Woodville. Upon the death of their father, their uncle UsefulNotes/RichardIII, who had been appointed Lord Protector, had the boys declared illegitimate and seized the throne for himself. The boys were lodged in The Tower of London and disappeared sometime in 1483. By the time of Richard's defeat at Bosworth Field (1485) and the ascension of [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfTudor Henry VII]], most people presumed the princes to be dead.

The Richard III Society, inspired by their remarkable success in finding Richard's remains, has launched a new project to discover the fate of the princes, working to prove theory number five, specifically that the boys were sent away by Richard for their own safety. Meanwhile, rumors indicate that King Charles III is far more willing to have the remains interred in Westminster Abbey subjected to modern forensic testing than his late mother was. All of this gives a glimmer of hope that new information might shed light on this 500-year-old ExtremelyColdCase.

Traditionally, in both fiction and history, Richard III is considered the most likely suspect in their disappearance, with the assumption that he ordered their murder to secure his place on the throne. Tudor propaganda, culminating in the classic HistoricalVillainUpgrade in Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/RichardIII'', codified this in the popular imagination. However, Richard had been well-liked in his home region of the North of England, and the image of him as a cartoon villain never completely stuck. As early as the 1600s,[[note]]not coincidently right after the death of the last Tudor monarch[[/note]] his defenders, known as [[FanCommunityNickname Ricardians]], have been disputing that Richard was the culprit. They argue that as the most powerful man in the country, Richard had the means to make the murders look like an accident or natural causes or find a scapegoat, none of which he did. Without proof of the princes' deaths, Richard would have faced imposters the same way Henry VII later did, and he would have known that would be inevitable.

# One or both of the boys [[SentIntoHiding escaped]], and one or more of the Pretenders that dogged Henry VII's reign may have been genuine, which would circle back to suspect number three. Perkin Warbeck, who gained much support in his lifetime and was eventually executed by Henry VII, claimed to be Richard of Shrewsbury and is a favorite candidate for being the real deal.[[note]]Reportedly, King James I, the first post-Tudor monarch, believed this story.[[/note]]

* In Sandra Worth's "Literature/RoseOfYorkSeries" of novels, Richard's wife Anne suggests he send the boys to Barnard Castle where they can play out of sight. The younger goes, but Edward V is sick and can't. In the meantime, the Duke of Buckingham begins his rebellion and has Edward V and a servant boy he mistakes for Prince Richard killed.

* In Sandra Worth's "Rose of York" series of novels, Richard's wife Anne suggests he send the boys to Barnard Castle where they can play out of sight. The younger goes, but Edward V is sick and can't. In the meantime, the Duke of Buckingham begins his rebellion and has Edward V and a servant boy he mistakes for Prince Richard killed.

# One or both of the boys [[SentIntoHiding escaped]], and one or more of the Pretenders that dogged Henry VII's reign may have been genuine, which would circle back to suspect number three. Perkin Warbeck, who gained much support in his lifetime and was eventually executed by Henry VII, claimed to be Richard of Shrewsbury and is a favorite candidate for being the real deal[[note]]Reportedly, King James I, the first post-Tudor monarch, believed this story[[/note]].

The Richard III Society, inspired by their remarkable success in finding Richard's remains, has launched a new project to discover the fate of the princes, working to prove theory number five, that the boys were sent away by Richard for their own safety. Meanwhile, rumors indicate that King Charles III is far more willing to have the remains interred in Westminster Abbey subjected to modern forensic testing than his late mother was. All of this gives a glimmer of hope that new information might shed light on this 500-year-old ExtremelyColdCase.

Related tropes include EvilUncle, EvilChancellor, HiddenBackupPrince, LostOrphanedRoyalty, ReallyRoyaltyReveal, SentIntoHiding, WouldHurtAChild and TheWrongfulHeirToTheThrone.

* In the RomanceNovel by Rebecca Brandewyne titled ''Literature/RoseOfRapture'' the hero, who secretly supports Henry Tudor, realizes that Richard did not kill the princes and the only one who could have was Tudor's mother, Margaret Beaufort, with an assist from The Duke of Buckingham. He's understandably reticent to tell Henry this, but that very reluctance clues Henry in. The books is a rare case where both Richard III and Henry Tudor are disgusted by the princes' murder. While the hero thinks that whoever wears the crown would eventually have to kill the princes, both Richard and Henry believe that the death of children would taint the crown and both are pious enough not to cross that line.

Related tropes include EvilUncle, EvilChancellor, HiddenBackupPrince, LostOrphanedRoyalty, ReallyRoyaltyReveal, SentIntoHiding and TheWrongfulHeirToTheThrone.

* In the RomanceNovel by Rebecca Brandewyne titled ''Literature/RoseOfRapture'' the hero, who secretly supports Henry Tudor, realizes that Richard did not kill the princes and the only one who could have was Tudor's mother, Margaret Beaufort. He's understandably reticent to tell Henry this.

* In the RomanceNovel by Rebecca Brandewyne titled ''Rose of Rapture'' the hero, who secretly supports Henry Tudor, realizes that Richard did not kill the princes and the only one who could have was Tudor's mother, Margaret Beaufort. He's understandably reticent to tell Henry this.

* In the RomanceNovel by Rebecca Brandewyne titled "Rose of Rapture" the hero, who secretly supports Henry Tudor, realizes that Richard did not kill the princes and the only one who could have was Tudor's mother, Margaret Beaufort. He's understandably reticent to tell Henry this.

Related tropes include EvilUncle, EvilChancellor, HiddenBackupPrince, LostOrphanedRoyalty, ReallyRoyaltyReveal, and TheWrongfulHeirToTheThrone.

# One or both of the boys escaped, and one or more of the Pretenders that dogged Henry VII's reign may have been genuine, which would circle back to suspect number three. Perkin Warbeck, who gained much support in his lifetime and was eventually executed by Henry VII, claimed to be Richard of Shrewsbury and is a favorite candidate for being the real deal[[note]]Reportedly, King James I, the first post-Tudor monarch, believed this story[[/note]].

* In the RomanceNovel by Rebecca Brandewyne titled "Rose of Rapture" the hero, who secretly supports Henry Tudor, realizes that Richard of Gloucester did not kill the princes and the only one who could have was Tudor's mother, Margaret Beaufort. He's understandably reticent to tell Henry this.

* In the RomanceNovel by Rebecca Brandewyne titled "The Rose of Rapture" the hero, who secretly supports Henry Tudor, realizes that Richard of Gloucester did not kill the princes and the only one who could have was Tudor's mother, Margaret Beaufort. He's understandably reticent to tell Henry this.

* The premise of the original season of ''Series/TheBlackAdder'' (as summed up in the Page Quote above) is that everything about this story is Tudor propaganda, and that in fact, the princes were never locked up, and Richard, Duke of York, grew up to become Creator/BrianBlessed, who had two sons of his own (the younger of which, Prince Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh, becomes the titular Black Adder) and reigned for several years as Richard IV, following Richard III's death at Bosworth Hill. Henry VII, who managed to survive Bosworth Field, reformed the calendar and pretended none of it had ever happened - after Percy accidentally poisoned the entire royal family in the season finale, leaving Henry the only possible heir left.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Bran and Rickon Stark, lost princes betrayed by a former ally and protector, were inspired by the princes. Theon Greyjoy claims to have had them executed, but he actually smuggles them out of the castle, allowing them both to escape; [[spoiler: though Rickon dies later on, Bran ends up being made king.]] House Stark in general has a lot in common with the House of York.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Bran and Rickon Stark, lost princes betrayed by a former ally and protector, were inspired by the princes.