Latest news with #Plantagenets
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
Richard III may not have been a child killer after all
It is one of history's most intriguing "murders" – the mysterious disappearance over five centuries ago of two young princes from the Tower of London. Nearly 200 years after they disappeared, two small skeletons were found in a wooden box at the historic tower and reburied at Westminster Abbey. The remains were believed, but never proved, to be those of the two brothers – heir to the throne Edward, 12, and Richard, nine, the sons of King Edward IV of England, who were reputedly murdered at the behest of their uncle, Richard Duke of Gloucester. William Shakespeare later immortalised him in Richard III as a scheming hunchback who did away with his royal nephews so he could take the crown himself, sealing his reputation as a child killer. Now British author Philippa Langley, who helped unearth Richard's body from a central England carpark in 2012, has claimed that the princes – far from being killed – actually survived. The elder prince, Edward, was heir to the throne at the time of his disappearance and would have ruled as King Edward V of England. Langley decided to delve into the mystery after coming to believe that the conventional narrative in which Richard had the young princes killed smacked of "history being written by the victors". She was finally spurred into action after reading an article about Richard's reburial at Leicester Cathedral in 2015 which questioned whether the nation should honour a "child killer". "I think I'd always realised that the story sort of developed during the reign of the Tudors," she said, adding that it was then "repeated and repeated over time" until it became "truth and fact". The last English king to die in battle, Richard ruled from 1483 until his brutal death at the Battle of Bosworth near Leicester in 1485, aged 32. Bosworth was the last major conflict in the Wars of the Roses and changed the course of English history because the Tudor dynasty of Henry VII captured the crown from Richard's Plantagenets. Langley attributes the accepted story that Richard had the boys murdered to King Henry VII, a "very, very intelligent individual, but suspicious and highly paranoid". Tudor mud "He had a massive spy network working for him. And he was able to completely control the narrative," she said, adding that Richard ended up "covered in Tudor mud". Taking a cold case review approach to the historical "whodunnit", Langley says she assembled a group of investigative specialists, including police and lawyers, to advise her. "They said: 'Look, if you haven't got any confirmed, identified bodies, then it has to be a missing persons investigation and you have to follow that methodology'. "They said: 'You have to actively look for evidence'. That's when it really started to get interesting." Langley put out an appeal for volunteers to scour archives, only to be inundated with offers of help from people ranging from ordinary citizens to medieval historians. The result was the decade-long Missing Princes Project which she says unearthed a significant amount of information pointing to the survival of both young princes. Langley now believes that it is up to Richard's detractors to disprove the survival thesis, which she outlines in the new book The Princes in the Tower: Solving History's Greatest Cold Case. "The onus is now on them to find the evidence that the boys died. They cannot say Richard III murdered the princes in the tower any more because we found numerous proofs of life everywhere," she said. Key to Langley's conviction that both boys survived are documents discovered supporting a rebellion by "Edward IV's son". During the rebellion in 1487, Lambert Simnel, a pretender to the throne who came forward after Richard's death, was crowned in Dublin. According to fresh references found by the project, the boy was "called" or said to be "a son of King Edward", which she believes points to Simnel being the elder prince, son of Edward IV.
NZ Herald
5 days ago
- General
- NZ Herald
New book questions Richard III's role in princes' disappearance, claims survival
The elder prince, Edward, was heir to the throne at the time of his disappearance and would have ruled as King Edward V of England. Langley decided to delve into the mystery after coming to believe that the conventional narrative in which Richard had the young princes killed smacked of 'history being written by the victors'. She was finally spurred into action after reading an article about Richard's reburial at Leicester Cathedral in 2015 which questioned whether the nation should honour a 'child killer'. 'I think I'd always realised that the story sort of developed during the reign of the Tudors,' she said, adding that it was then 'repeated and repeated over time' until it became 'truth and fact'. The last English king to die in battle, Richard ruled from 1483 until his brutal death at the Battle of Bosworth near Leicester in 1485, aged 32. Bosworth was the last major conflict in the Wars of the Roses and changed the course of English history because the Tudor dynasty of Henry VII captured the crown from Richard's Plantagenets. Langley attributes the accepted story that Richard had the boys murdered to King Henry VII, a 'very, very intelligent individual, but suspicious and highly paranoid'. 'He had a massive spy network working for him. And he was able to completely control the narrative,' she said, adding that Richard ended up 'covered in Tudor mud'. Taking a cold case review approach to the historical 'whodunnit', Langley says she assembled a group of investigative specialists, including police and lawyers, to advise her. 'They said: 'Look, if you haven't got any confirmed, identified bodies, then it has to be a missing persons investigation and you have to follow that methodology'. 'They said: 'You have to actively look for evidence'. That's when it really started to get interesting.' An undated handout picture released on February 4, 2013 from the University of Leicester shows the skeleton of king Richard III found at the Grey Friars Church excavation site in Leicester. Photo / AFP Langley put out an appeal for volunteers to scour archives, only to be inundated with offers of help from people ranging from ordinary citizens to medieval historians. The result was the decade-long Missing Princes Project which she says unearthed a significant amount of information pointing to the survival of both young princes. Langley now believes that it is up to Richard's detractors to disprove the survival thesis, which she outlines in the new book The Princes in the Tower: Solving History's Greatest Cold Case. 'The onus is now on them to find the evidence that the boys died. 'They cannot say Richard III murdered the princes in the tower any more because we found numerous proofs of life everywhere,' she said. Key to Langley's conviction that both boys survived are documents discovered supporting a rebellion by 'Edward IV's son'. During the rebellion in 1487, Lambert Simnel, a pretender to the throne who came forward after Richard's death, was crowned in Dublin. According to fresh references found by the project, the boy was 'called' or said to be 'a son of King Edward', which she believes points to Simnel being the elder prince, son of Edward IV. The reaction to Langley's research has been mixed. Michael Dobson, director and a professor of Shakespeare studies at the University of Birmingham's Shakespeare Institute, expressed scepticism. 'Given the ways of dynastic monarchy, I think Richard would have been taking a very big risk in leaving those princes alive,' he said. 'The chances of their having accidentally gone missing while incarcerated on his orders in the Tower of London seem pretty remote.' -Agence France-Presse
Int'l Business Times
5 days ago
- General
- Int'l Business Times
UK 'Princes In The Tower' Murder Probe Clears Richard III
It is one of history's most intriguing "murders" -- the mysterious disappearance over five centuries ago of two young princes from the Tower of London. Nearly 200 years after they disappeared, two small skeletons were found in a wooden box at the historic tower and reburied at Westminster Abbey. The remains were believed, but never proved, to be those of the two brothers -- heir to the throne Edward, 12, and Richard, nine, the sons of King Edward IV of England, who were reputedly murdered at the behest of their uncle, Richard Duke of Gloucester. William Shakespeare later immortalised him in Richard III as a scheming hunchback who did away with his royal nephews so he could take the crown himself, sealing his reputation as a child killer. Now British author Philippa Langley, who helped unearth Richard's body from a central England carpark in 2012, has claimed that the princes -- far from being killed -- actually survived. The elder prince, Edward, was heir to the throne at the time of his disappearance and would have ruled as King Edward V of England. Langley decided to delve into the mystery after coming to believe that the conventional narrative in which Richard had the young princes killed smacked of "history being written by the victors". She was finally spurred into action after reading an article about Richard's reburial at Leicester Cathedral in 2015 which questioned whether the nation should honour a "child killer". "I think I'd always realised that the story sort of developed during the reign of the Tudors," she said, adding that it was then "repeated and repeated over time" until it became "truth and fact". The last English king to die in battle, Richard ruled from 1483 until his brutal death at the Battle of Bosworth near Leicester in 1485, aged 32. Bosworth was the last major conflict in the Wars of the Roses and changed the course of English history because the Tudor dynasty of Henry VII captured the crown from Richard's Plantagenets. Langley attributes the accepted story that Richard had the boys murdered to King Henry VII, a "very, very intelligent individual, but suspicious and highly paranoid". "He had a massive spy network working for him. And he was able to completely control the narrative," she said, adding that Richard ended up "covered in Tudor mud". Taking a cold case review approach to the historical "whodunnit", Langley says she assembled a group of investigative specialists, including police and lawyers, to advise her. "They said: 'Look, if you haven't got any confirmed, identified bodies, then it has to be a missing persons investigation and you have to follow that methodology'. "They said: 'You have to actively look for evidence'. That's when it really started to get interesting." Langley put out an appeal for volunteers to scour archives, only to be inundated with offers of help from people ranging from ordinary citizens to medieval historians. The result was the decade-long Missing Princes Project which she says unearthed a significant amount of information pointing to the survival of both young princes. Langley now believes that it is up to Richard's detractors to disprove the survival thesis, which she outlines in the new book "The Princes in the Tower: Solving History's Greatest Cold Case". "The onus is now on them to find the evidence that the boys died. "They cannot say Richard III murdered the princes in the tower any more because we found numerous proofs of life everywhere," she said. Key to Langley's conviction that both boys survived are documents discovered supporting a rebellion by "Edward IV's son". During the rebellion in 1487, Lambert Simnel, a pretender to the throne who came forward after Richard's death, was crowned in Dublin. According to fresh references found by the project, the boy was "called" or said to be "a son of King Edward", which she believes points to Simnel being the elder prince, son of Edward IV. The reaction to Langley's research has been mixed. Michael Dobson, director and a professor of Shakespeare studies at the University of Birmingham's Shakespeare Institute, expressed scepticism. "Given the ways of dynastic monarchy, I think Richard would have been taking a very big risk in leaving those princes alive," he said. "The chances of their having accidentally gone missing while incarcerated on his orders in the Tower of London seem pretty remote." Yeoman Warder Ravenmaster Chris Skaife at the Tower of London, where the young princes were imprisoned AFP Langley says there is evidence the princes were not murdered by their uncle, Richard III AFP
Khaleej Times
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Khaleej Times
What Aston Martin's Le Mans comeback means for classic car investments
Le Mans is to the French what Silverstone is to the British and Indianapolis is to the Americans — the home of motorsport. The first French Grand Prix took place there in 1906. This city in Northwestern France, on the Sarth River — from where the circuit takes its name — has a long history dating to before the Romans took over in 47 BC. Henry II, the Plantagenet King of England, was born there to Geoffrey V of Anjou and Matilda of England, the daughter of Henry I and fourth son of William the Conqueor; Matilda, who was 25 and entering her second marriage, married Geoffrey, who was only 13 at the time, in Le Mans Cathedral on June 17, 1128. Fast forward 780 years to August 8, 1908, and Le Mans residents would have witnessed Wilbur Wright demonstrate the flying machine he had developed with his younger brother Orville. Yet, despite the city's extraordinarily rich history, Le Mans is best known for being home to the oldest active endurance racing event in the world, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The race, which began in 1923, forms part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport. Unlike the Monaco Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500, Le Mans is won by the car that covers the greatest distance in 24 hours. Rather than focusing on speed, the primary objective is endurance — reliable cars that travel at speeds up to 250mph, lap after lap after lap, spending as little time as possible in the pits. The race is organised by Automobile Club de l'Ouest and since 2012 has been part of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). This year promises to be particularly exciting, especially for the British: Aston Martin has not won here since Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby took their DBR1/300 across the line in 1959, some 66 years ago. The company's Valkyrie is an old-school, purebred V12, designed by Essex-born Englishman Adrian Newey, one of the greatest car designers of all time. Should it win on June 14, it will cement Aston Martin alongside Bentley as a perennial of British motorsport brands. Bentley has won Le Mans six times, including an incredible run from 1927-1930, when it was unbeaten, coining the expression The Bentley Boys, which refers to the group of wealthy British motorists who drove the cars to victory. The Valkyrie's engine is built by Cosworth, a portmanteau of the surnames of Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth, who met at Colin Chapman's Lotus Engineering Limited — one of the most successful racing teams of all time — and founded Cosworth in 1958, the year preceding Aston Martin's last Le Mans victory. The car will be driven by an all-British crew of Harry Ticknell, Tom Gamble and Ross Gunn, and carry the highly appropriate race number 007. It would be an historic win, but competition will be fierce: Ferrari is going for the hattrick, Porsche for an earth-shattering 20th win (no wonder the brand's reputation for reliability), and the French — Peugeot and Alpine — are desperate to win on home soil (the French haven't won since 2009). In addition, Mercedes returns to the fray following a 25-year hiatus; British racing team Jota Sport has teamed up with deep-pocketed Cadillac to enter no less than four cars, to say nothing of the ambitions of BMW and Toyota. This year's race promises the excitement of Moss and Jenks averaging 98 mph in the 1955 Mille Miglia. The Allure of Aston Martin Founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford, Aston Martin has a century of motorsport heritage and performance, connections with British royalty and, of course, James Bond. The marque's storied lineage at Le Mans is a siren call for discerning investors. The 1959 triumph of the DBR1, of which only five were ever constructed, culminated in a singular chassis commanding $22.6m at RM Sotheby's auction in 2017 — testament to the brand's enduring cachet. Should the Valkyrie claim victory next weekend, the ripple effect could elevate the value of Aston's stable of classic cars. The DB5, forever entwined with the mystique of Bond all the way from Goldfinger to No Time To Die, and, arguably, the most famous car in cinematic history, commands around a million dollars in fine fettle, yet those with documented racing provenance may soar well into seven figures. Rarer still is the 1961 DB4 GT Zagato, a mere nineteen crafted, with 'MP209' fetching £10m at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Bonham's auction on July 13, 2018, a tenfold appreciation from its one-million-dollar valuation in 2000. These automobiles transcend mere machinery; they are artifacts of motorsport's golden era, their value tethered to Le Mans' legacy of endurance. Scarcity and impeccable provenance reign supreme, rendering such vehicles coveted by collectors who prize history as much as horsepower. Classic Cars and the S&P 500: A Study in Returns Do classic cars outstrip the steady march of the stock market? The evidence suggests they can, though not without caprice. The Knight Frank Luxury Investment Index records a 10 per cent annual return for classic cars from 2010-20, surpassing the S&P 500's more pedestrian seven to eight per cent. Consider the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, acquired for $1.5m in 1990 and which sold for forty-eight million in 2018 — a 30-fold return that eclipses the S&P's sixfold growth over that time span. Similarly, the aforementioned Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato, purchased for one million in 2000, now commands 10 million, a tenfold gain that outpaces the S&P's threefold rise. However, would-be investors should not expect the road to be as smooth as the Mulsanne Straight. A pedestrian Aston DB6 may merely shadow the S&P's returns, particularly when burdened by annual maintenance costs — five to ten thousand dollars for storage, insurance, and restoration. Liquidity further complicates the equation: stocks can be sold at a moment's notice, while classic cars languish for months. A Valkyrie victory in 2025 could ignite demand for Aston's DB5, much as Ferrari's hattrick will only bolster the allure of the 250 GTO, which, with its trio of Le Mans triumphs from 1960 to 1962, remains the ne plus ultra of automotive investment. Classic cars offer a potent blend of passion and profit, but their volatility demands a steady hand. The Road Ahead If you are new to the pursuit, diligence is paramount. Rarity is the lodestar — the fewer there are, the more sought after they are likely to be. Condition is critical: vehicles with original components, unmarred by corrosion and accompanied by meticulous maintenance records, command premiums. Provenance — be it a racing pedigree or ownership by a luminary — can elevate a car's worth exponentially. The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR known as the 'Uhlenhaut Coupe' sold for $142 million in 2022, setting the record for the most expensive car of all time (the proceeds went to the Mercedes-Benz fund, a global scholarship programme designed to support young people working to make the world more sustainable). Platforms, such as RM Sotheby's and Bonhams, offer windows into current market dynamics; a well-preserved DB5 may be acquired for $150,000, while if you are lucky you may find the more accessible DB7, Aston's gateway classic, at around $50,000. Ownership is not without its tolls: restoration, insurance, and climate-controlled storage can soon wrack up thousands of pounds in annual costs. And unlike company shares, classic cars are illiquid, their markets subject to whimsy. Never underestimate the value of liquidity. Classic car 'investing' is all about the joys of ownership and immersing oneself in the culture. A DB7, driven with joy, may prove a wiser investment than a DB6 acquired solely for gain. Monitor Le Mans — a Valkyrie triumph could signal just the right time to enter the fray. Maltin is the Chief Investment Officer of RIM (BVI) Limited. The opinions expressed here are his own and do not necessarily reflect current portfolio positioning. For additional information visit
Rhyl Journal
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Rhyl Journal
Family-friendly events taking place at Cadw sites in Wales
Cadw has announced a range of activities at castles, abbeys, and ancient monuments across the country. From Saturday, May 25, to Sunday, June 2, visitors will be able to enjoy historical experiences, interactive workshops, and hands-on activities. Head of Cadw, Gwilym Hughes, said: "Our lively schedule of events across May half-term will hopefully inspire pride in Welsh heritage, spark curiosity, and offer fun for all ages. "It's an opportunity for families to get out and learn about the rich history that makes Wales so unique. "Children go free with any adult membership offering great value to keep the whole family entertained over the holidays and throughout the year." More than 20 events are planned for the school holidays. Highlights include the Plantagenets at Castell Harlech from Saturday, May 24, to Monday, May 26, between 11am and 4pm. Visitors will be able to meet the medieval Plantagenets and enjoy demonstrations of horse and accoutrements, archery displays, and dances and musicians. Beaumaris Castle will host a Knight Camp from Wednesday, May 28, to Friday, May 30, between 10am and 5pm. Visitors will be able to meet armoured knights, watch combat displays, and learn about the skills and stories of the medieval age. Other events across Cadw's historic locations include Wise Woman and the Surgeon and Fooling Around at Plas Mawr, a Craft Showcase at Denbigh Castle, Men at Arms at Beaumaris Castle, Castle Garrison and Red Dragon Archers at Caernarfon Castle, Tunes and Tales with Mair Tomos Ifans at Castell Cricieth, and Tales of Wales at Castell Cricieth and Castell Rhuddlan. A Cadw membership offers free event entry and unlimited access to 132 historic places across Wales. Children also go free with any adult membership. For more information about the events and guided tours, visit the Cadw website.
