DNA test results confirm Richard III’s skull

King Richard III
(image source Wikimedia Commons)

Experts from the University of Leicester confirmed that the skull unearthed beneath a car park in Leicester actually belongs to King Richard III. In a press conference, lead archeologist Richard Buckley confirmed: "Beyond reasonable doubt it's Richard." The bones have undergone "rigorous academic study" and have been “carbon dated to a period from 1455-1540."

Another member of the archeological team, Dr, Jo Appleby, announced that the bones belonged to a man in his late 20s or early 30s. True because Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. He was 32.

Research further shows that the “skeleton had suffered 10 injuries, including eight to the skull, at around the time of death. Two of the skull wounds were potentially fatal,” reports BBC.

"One was a 'slice' removing a flap of bone, the other was caused by bladed weapon which went through and hit the opposite side of the skull - a depth of more than 10cm (4ins)."

Richard III reigned from 1483 until 1485. He was the last member of the House of York to rule England. His death marked the end of the Middle Age in England. Immortalized in Shakespeare’s classic, Richard III, he was also the only English king, after Harold II to die in the battlefield.