A Discovery Nearly Two Centuries Later
For almost 200 years, the mystery of the Princes in the Tower remained exactly that - a mystery.
The boys had vanished.
Theories multiplied.
Accusations flew between rival dynasties.
Yet nobody could point to physical evidence proving what had happened.
Then, in 1674, workers carrying out renovations inside the Tower of London made a startling discovery.
Hidden beneath a staircase were human remains.
Not one skeleton.
Two.
And almost immediately, people began asking the same question.
Had the missing princes finally been found?
The Discovery At The White Tower
The remains were discovered during construction work at the White Tower, the oldest section of the Tower of London.
Workers reportedly uncovered a wooden chest containing the bones of two children.
The location attracted immediate attention.
After all, according to some accounts, the princes had disappeared somewhere within the Tower complex nearly 200 years earlier.
The timing seemed impossible to ignore.
The discovery quickly reached the attention of King Charles II.
Many believed the mystery had finally been solved.
Or at least partially solved.
Buried In Westminster Abbey
Convinced that the remains likely belonged to Edward V and Richard, Duke of York, King Charles II ordered that the bones be reburied with royal honors.
The remains were placed inside Westminster Abbey.
There they remain today.
To many people, the case seemed closed.
The princes had been murdered.
Their bodies had been hidden.
And centuries later, they had finally been found.
But historians are rarely satisfied with assumptions.
And over time, doubts began to emerge.
Were The Bones Really Theirs?
The biggest problem was obvious.
No one actually knew whose remains had been discovered.
The workers had found bones.
Nothing more.
No names.
No identifying objects.
No records explaining how the remains arrived there.
The assumption that they belonged to the princes was based largely on circumstance.
Two children.
Inside the Tower.
Near the location where the princes allegedly disappeared.
Compelling?
Certainly.
Conclusive?
Not even close.
The 1933 Examination
In 1933, researchers were finally granted permission to examine the remains.
At the time, scientific techniques were far less advanced than they are today.
Even so, investigators hoped to learn something useful.
The examination produced mixed results.
The bones appeared consistent with children of approximately the right age.
Some skeletal features seemed compatible with Edward and Richard.
Yet significant problems remained.
Several bones were missing.
The remains had been disturbed over the centuries.
And precise identification was impossible.
The investigation answered some questions.
But not the most important one.
The Modern DNA Debate
Today, many historians and forensic scientists believe modern DNA testing could provide valuable information.
Advances in genetic analysis have transformed historical investigations.
Famous examples include:
The identification of King Richard III's remains
Romanov family investigations
Ancient royal burials
If the princes' bones could be tested, researchers might finally determine:
Whether the remains belong to two related children
Their approximate age
Possible family connections
Potentially, the results could answer questions that have persisted for centuries.
Yet there is a problem.
Why The Bones Haven't Been Tested
The remains are housed within Westminster Abbey.
Any new examination would require official approval.
To date, permission has not been granted.
Several reasons have been cited.
Some argue the remains should be left undisturbed.
Others question whether testing would produce definitive results.
There are also ethical concerns surrounding the disturbance of historical burials.
As a result, one of the most important pieces of evidence in the entire mystery remains largely inaccessible.
The technology exists.
The opportunity does not.
At least for now.
A New Discovery Changes Everything
The 1674 remains are not the only bones connected to the mystery.
In the twentieth century, researchers began examining another intriguing possibility.
Archaeological discoveries elsewhere suggested that the story might be far more complicated than previously believed.
What if the princes never died in the Tower?
What if at least one survived?
What if the wrong remains have been receiving royal honors for centuries?
These questions have fueled intense debate among historians.
And they illustrate just how uncertain the evidence remains.
The Richard III Factor
The identification of King Richard III's remains in 2012 added a fascinating new dimension to the discussion.
Using modern DNA techniques, researchers successfully confirmed the king's identity.
The achievement demonstrated what modern science can accomplish.
It also intensified calls for similar testing on the supposed remains of the princes.
If Richard's identity could be confirmed after more than 500 years, why not theirs?
Supporters argue that the same technology could finally settle the debate.
Opponents remain unconvinced.
For now, the question remains unresolved.
Evidence Or Assumption?
One of the most important lessons of the Princes in the Tower mystery is that assumptions can easily become accepted as facts.
Many people today believe the bones discovered in 1674 unquestionably belong to the princes.
The truth is more complicated.
The remains may belong to them.
They may not.
The evidence is suggestive.
But not definitive.
And in historical investigations, that distinction matters.
A great deal.
The Mystery Remains
After more than five centuries, historians still cannot answer some basic questions.
Were the princes murdered?
If so, when?
If so, by whom?
And perhaps most importantly:
Have their remains already been found?
Or are they still hidden somewhere, waiting to be discovered?
The bones beneath the Tower provide one possible answer.
But they do not provide certainty.
And certainty is exactly what this mystery lacks.
The Final Verdict
By now, one thing should be clear.
The mystery of the Princes in the Tower is not built upon a single piece of evidence.
It is built upon fragments.
A disappearance.
A handful of accounts.
A collection of bones.
Political motives.
Centuries of speculation.
To solve the mystery, historians must weigh all of these pieces together.
And when they do, one suspect still attracts more attention than any other.
But does that make him guilty?
In the final chapter of this investigation, we'll examine what most historians believe happened and ask whether Richard III truly deserves his reputation as history's most infamous royal uncle.
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