DNA Test SHOCKS Historians — The Truth About the Lost Princes of the Tower! | HO!!

A Shocking Discovery in an Ancient Staircase

In the summer of 1674, behind the impenetrable walls of the Tower of London, workers repairing the White Tower uncovered something eerie. Beneath an abandoned staircase, hidden deep in rubble, they found a small wooden chest. Inside lay the fragile, silent remains of two children, skeletal and intertwined.

King Charles II ordered the bones re-buried in the royal pantheon of Westminster Abbey in 1678 under a marble urn inscribed to identify them as the missing princes: Edward V of England (aged 12) and Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York (aged 9) — the famous “Princes in the Tower.”

Yet for centuries, historians have cautioned: there is no conclusive proof these bones truly belong to the two princes.

That changed—shockingly—when modern genetic science offered a new verdict.

Science Steps In: Genes, Bones & Royal Secrets

The 1933 examination of the bones concluded simply that they were two male children, aged roughly 12 and 10 — consistent with the known ages of Edward and Richard — but nothing more. No DNA tests.
thewarsoftheroses.co.uk

But with the success of the 2012 identification of Richard III via ancient DNA, researchers renewed calls to test the Westminster Abbey remains.

In a 2018 breakthrough, a team identified a mitochondrial-DNA line traced to the princes’ mother, Elizabeth Woodville. Although the principal bones remained undisturbed, the finding opened the possibility of proving whether the interred remains truly belonged to the missing royals.

Then, in late 2024, the story took an even darker turn. Historian Tim Thornton discovered archival evidence: a will belonging to Lady Margaret Capell (related to Sir James Tyrell, one of the princes’ alleged murderers) mentions a “chain which was young King Edward V’s.”

Taken together, the genetic leads and archival “smoking gun” prompted renewed urgent calls for full DNA and radiocarbon testing of the bones.

Why This Changes Everything

Identity confirmed

If the DNA from the bones matches the maternal line of Elizabeth Woodville and aligns with the Y-chromosome expected from the Plantagenet male line, it would be the first scientific confirmation that the remains are indeed Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury.

Timeline narrowed

Radiocarbon dating could confirm the skeletons died in the late 15th century, locking them into the window post-Edward IV’s death and before the reign of Henry VII. That would eliminate survival theories.

Murder theories revived

If the bones are truly those of the princes, the widely accepted narrative that they were murdered in 1483 (most often blamed on Richard III) regains powerful credence. New evidence weakens survival theories and shifts focus back to their uncle or his accomplices.

The disappearance remains the question
Even proven identity will not reveal how the princes died, or by whose hand. But it confirms they died as children and didn’t vanish to become pretenders or exiles.

But There’s a Deadly Ethical and Practical Roadblock

Permission is the stumbling block. The remains lie in Westminster Abbey, a royal and sacred place. The Dean of the Abbey, backed by past monarchs, has refused previous requests to disturb the urn.

As historian Tracy Borman (Joint Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces) warned:

“The bones should be left to rest in peace.”
The Times

The stakes are high: exhumation could open a flood of demands to disturb other royal graves. And even if DNA confirms identity, the murder mystery remains unresolved.

Practical issues also persist: the bones may be too degraded for full analysis, contamination from past handling is extensive, and reliable

Plantagenet DNA for comparison remains scarce.

The Tale of Disappearance, Power & Murder

The story begins in April 1483 when Edward IV died, leaving two young sons: 12-year-old Edward (V) and 9-year-old Richard of Shrewsbury. Their mother, Elizabeth Woodville, went into sanctuary; their uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was named Protector.
Wikipedia

In June 1483, Richard declared the boys illegitimate and seized the throne as Richard III. Soon after, the boys disappeared from public view. Their last credible sighting was the summer of 1483 within the Tower of London.

Early modern sources (notably Sir Thomas More) accused Richard III of ordering the smothering of the princes. But these sources are tangled with Tudor-era propaganda, and no contemporary proof of murder survives.

The remains found in 1674, re-buried with ceremony in 1678, became at least a physical representation of the tragedy—even if identity remained unproven.

The absence of testing left the door open for survival theories — that one or both princes escaped and lived in exile or under another identity. But if the bones are indeed theirs, those theories are under severe threat.
The Times

What the DNA Verdict Means for History

For historians, this isn’t just about two lost boys. It’s about the legitimacy of monarchy, the brutal politics of the late 15th century, and how power can vanish with a cover-up.

If confirmed, the remains offer closure on multiple fronts:

The princess-in-the-tower becomes a princedom-in-the-urn.

Richard III remains, if not officially guilty, deeply implicated.

Tudor claims gain less plausibility.

The psychological impact on Tudor and Plantagenet legacies is profound.

Yet the verdict also highlights the limitations of science: We might know who they were, but the how and why may remain buried in the past.

Final Thoughts: Truth, Memory & the Weight of Bones

We live in an age where DNA and ancient bones can speak across centuries. But bones don’t answer motive. They don’t testify to orders given, promises broken or power seized.

The true victims here were children. History turns them into symbols. Their story demands more than shock headlines.

If the remains in Westminster Abbey are proven to be the missing princes, then England’s greatest royal mystery takes a major step toward resolution. But the deeper question remains: who ended their lives — and why?

Until then, the Tower of London still holds its secrets. And the boys it lost still wait in silence for an answer.