Eduardo and Ricardo, ancestors of Carlos III, the princes who disappeared in the Tower of London

One of the great mysteries of the British monarchy is the disappearance of two princes, one of them an heir to the crown, in the midst of a plot for control of the throne. For hundreds of years, the unknown of what happened to Eduardo and Ricardo in the Tower of London has kept royal historians in suspense.

Edward and Richard, sons of Edward IV, were 12 and 9 years old respectively when their father, the King of England, died in 1483. Edward, Edward IV’s eldest son, inherited the title of king, but had yet to celebrate his coronation .

For most of his life, Eduardo was raised by his mother’s family, Isabel Woodville. To the Yorks, his paternal family, the Woodvilles seemed ambitious and pushy, so they did not want them to influence the little king. That would be the first focus of the conflict that would mark the fate of little Eduardo.

When Eduardo and Ricardo were so young, their father had appointed their uncle as their protector before he died. The children’s uncle, also named Ricardo, became their guardian.

Edward V was king and his little brother Richard was prince, but their uncle would soon undertake the task of stripping them both of the title.

The plot

While preparations were made in London for Edward V’s coronation, scheduled for 4 May 1483, the King and his younger brother were billeted in the Tower of London, the traditional residence of future monarchs before their coronation.

However, the minor’s uncle filed an appeal that would make him the legal heir to the throne. Richard presented a vow of marriage from his late older brother, Edward IV, to the young Eleanor Talbot, before marrying Isabel Woodville.

That act would invalidate his subsequent marriage to Isabel, turning their children into bastards and eliminating their right to the throne. Little Edward V immediately lost his title of king and his uncle Richard took over his role.

Missing

Eduardo V and his brother Ricardo remained imprisoned in the Tower of London and were seen less and less until they disappeared completely. The last time anyone saw them was in the summer of 1483, when children were playing around the castle.

At the time, the greatest suspicion fell on King Richard, who was accused of murdering the children in order to eliminate competition for the throne. With Edward and Richard dead, the king need not fear being challenged for power.

But Ricardo has always denied any involvement in the disappearance of his cousins, although he did not investigate the case either. The King died at the Battle of Bosworth two years later, never solving the mystery.

The theories

During the renovation of the Tower of London in 1674, workers found a box containing two human skeletons, matching the ages Eduardo and Ricardo were when they disappeared.

Despite the fact that in 1933 the remains were examined to determine whether they were the princes, only the bones were known to belong to children.

Historians toss around a lot of theories. Some strongly believe that King Richard killed them and sent his subject James Tyrell to the tower. According to a witness to Tyrell’s execution, he confessed to killing the children before he died.

Others believe that the princes were saved by the side of the rebellion against Richard, and that they lived safe from their uncle’s control. It is also believed that little Eduardo had health problems and did not survive due to natural causes.

Either way, it doesn’t look like the mystery of the princes will be solved anytime soon unless hard evidence emerges that points to their fate.