Identification of the remains of King Richard III

doi:10.1038/ncomms6631

. 2014 Dec 2:5:5631.

doi: 10.1038/ncomms6631.

Identification of the remains of King Richard III

Turi E King¹, Gloria Gonzalez Fortes², Patricia Balaresque³, Mark G Thomas⁴, David Balding⁴, Pierpaolo Maisano Delser⁵, Rita Neumann⁵, Walther Parson⁶, Michael Knapp⁷, Susan Walsh⁸, Laure Tonasso³, John Holt⁹, Manfred Kayser¹⁰, Jo Appleby¹¹, Peter Forster¹², David Ekserdjian¹³, Michael Hofreiter², Kevin Schürer¹⁴

Affiliations

¹ 1] Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK [2] School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
² 1] Department of Biology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK [2] Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Universität Potsdam, Karl-Liebknechtstr. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany.
³ UMR5288-CNRS/Université Paul Sabatier-Toulouse 3 Laboratoire Anthropologie Moléculaire et Imagerie de Synthèse Faculté de Médecine Purpam 37, allées Jules Guesde, 31073 Toulouse, France.
⁴ Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
⁵ Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
⁶ 1] Institute of Legal Medicine, Innsbruck Medical University, Muellerstraße 44, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria [2] Pennsylvania State University, Eberly College of Science, Thomas Bldg, #517, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA.
⁷ School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK.
⁸ 1] Molecular Anthropology Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, Yale University, Yale, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA [2] Department of Forensic Molecular Biology, Erasmus MC University Medical Centre Rotterdam, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
⁹ Space Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
¹⁰ Department of Forensic Molecular Biology, Erasmus MC University Medical Centre Rotterdam, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
¹¹ School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
¹² 1] McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3ER, UK [2] Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0DF, UK.
¹³ Department of the History of Art and Film, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
¹⁴ Centre for English Local History, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.

PMID: 25463651
PMCID: PMC4268703
DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6631

Identification of the remains of King Richard III

Turi E King et al. Nat Commun. 2014.

. 2014 Dec 2:5:5631.

doi: 10.1038/ncomms6631.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ 1] Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK [2] School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
² 1] Department of Biology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK [2] Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Universität Potsdam, Karl-Liebknechtstr. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany.
³ UMR5288-CNRS/Université Paul Sabatier-Toulouse 3 Laboratoire Anthropologie Moléculaire et Imagerie de Synthèse Faculté de Médecine Purpam 37, allées Jules Guesde, 31073 Toulouse, France.
⁴ Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
⁵ Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
⁶ 1] Institute of Legal Medicine, Innsbruck Medical University, Muellerstraße 44, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria [2] Pennsylvania State University, Eberly College of Science, Thomas Bldg, #517, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA.
⁷ School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK.
⁸ 1] Molecular Anthropology Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, Yale University, Yale, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA [2] Department of Forensic Molecular Biology, Erasmus MC University Medical Centre Rotterdam, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
⁹ Space Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
¹⁰ Department of Forensic Molecular Biology, Erasmus MC University Medical Centre Rotterdam, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
¹¹ School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
¹² 1] McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3ER, UK [2] Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0DF, UK.
¹³ Department of the History of Art and Film, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
¹⁴ Centre for English Local History, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.

PMID: 25463651
PMCID: PMC4268703
DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6631

Abstract

In 2012, a skeleton was excavated at the presumed site of the Grey Friars friary in Leicester, the last-known resting place of King Richard III. Archaeological, osteological and radiocarbon dating data were consistent with these being his remains. Here we report DNA analyses of both the skeletal remains and living relatives of Richard III. We find a perfect mitochondrial DNA match between the sequence obtained from the remains and one living relative, and a single-base substitution when compared with a second relative. Y-chromosome haplotypes from male-line relatives and the remains do not match, which could be attributed to a false-paternity event occurring in any of the intervening generations. DNA-predicted hair and eye colour are consistent with Richard's appearance in an early portrait. We calculate likelihood ratios for the non-genetic and genetic data separately, and combined, and conclude that the evidence for the remains being those of Richard III is overwhelming.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

**Figure 1. Genealogical links between Richard III and modern-day relatives who participated in this study.**
(a) Genealogical information links the Somersets to Richard III through an all-male line (left-hand side) through Edward III. Numbers indicate the number of individuals in the tree between named individuals. Two illegitimacy events where sons born out of wedlock were later legitimized are known to have occurred in the period between John of Gaunt and Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort. (b) Genealogical information links Michael Ibsen and Wendy Duldig to Richard III through a female-only line (right-hand side) descended from Richard III’s eldest sister, Anne of York. Numbers indicate number of individuals in the tree between named individuals.

**Figure 2. Hair and eye colour prediction from genetic data.**
Proposed eye and hair colour predictions for Richard III’s profile based on a set of individuals with similar eye and hair colour prediction probabilities. a–d give several examples that show the possible range of eye colours associated with a high blue probability of 0.955 using the IrisPlex model. e–h give several examples that show the possible range of hair colours associated with a high blond probability of 0.771 using the HIrisPlex model. It should be noted that eye and hair colour prediction has yet to reach individualized continuous colours. Therefore, these examples are provided as an indication of what colours may be possible using the 24-SNP HIrisPlex genotype profile. (i) The Society of Antiquaries of London Arched-Frame Portrait. Portrait reproduced with kind permission of the Society of Antiquaries of London.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

Cited by

Learning And Improvement In Hereditary Diseases: Altnagelvin Hospital, Londonderry, 3rd December 2015.
Morrison PJ. Morrison PJ. Ulster Med J. 2016 May;85(2):118-21. Ulster Med J. 2016. PMID: 27601767 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
Application of Forensic DNA Phenotyping for Prediction of Eye, Hair and Skin Colour in Highly Decomposed Bodies.
Fabbri M, Alfieri L, Mazdai L, Frisoni P, Gaudio RM, Neri M. Fabbri M, et al. Healthcare (Basel). 2023 Feb 23;11(5):647. doi: 10.3390/healthcare11050647. Healthcare (Basel). 2023. PMID: 36900653 Free PMC article.
Methodological Changes in the Field of Paleogenetics.
Danielewski M, Żuraszek J, Zielińska A, Herzig KH, Słomski R, Walkowiak J, Wielgus K. Danielewski M, et al. Genes (Basel). 2023 Jan 16;14(1):234. doi: 10.3390/genes14010234. Genes (Basel). 2023. PMID: 36672975 Free PMC article. Review.
Eye and Hair Color Prediction of Ancient and Second World War Skeletal Remains Using a Forensic PCR-MPS Approach.
Zupanič Pajnič I, Zupanc T, Leskovar T, Črešnar M, Fattorini P. Zupanič Pajnič I, et al. Genes (Basel). 2022 Aug 12;13(8):1432. doi: 10.3390/genes13081432. Genes (Basel). 2022. PMID: 36011343 Free PMC article.
Massively parallel sequencing of human skeletal remains in Vietnam using the precision ID mtDNA control region panel on the Ion S5™ system.
Ta MTA, Nguyen NN, Tran DM, Nguyen TH, Vu TA, Le DT, Le PT, Do TTH, Hoang H, Chu HH. Ta MTA, et al. Int J Legal Med. 2021 Nov;135(6):2285-2294. doi: 10.1007/s00414-021-02649-1. Epub 2021 Jul 1. Int J Legal Med. 2021. PMID: 34196785

See all "Cited by" articles

References

1. Rous J. Joannis Rossi antiquiarii Wawicensis Historia Regum Angliae Oxford: Theatro Sheldoniano (1745) [1486]).
1. Speed J. The History of Great Britaine under the Conquests of ye Romans, Saxons, Danes and Normans William Hall & William Beale (1611).
1. Bilson C. J. Medieval Leicester Edgar Backus (1920).
1. Baldwin D. King Richard’s grave in Leicester. Trans. Leicestershire Archaeol. and Hist. Soc. 60, 21–24 (1986).
1. Strange A. The Grey Friars, Leicester. Ricardian 3, 3–7 (1975).

Publication types

Actions
Actions

MeSH terms

Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions

Substances

Actions

Associated data

Actions
- Search in PubMed
- Search in Nucleotide
Actions
- Search in PubMed
- Search in Nucleotide
Actions
- Search in PubMed
- Search in Nucleotide

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
- scite Smart Citations

[1] Rous J. Joannis Rossi antiquiarii Wawicensis Historia Regum Angliae Oxford: Theatro Sheldoniano (1745) [1486]).

[2] Rous J. Joannis Rossi antiquiarii Wawicensis Historia Regum Angliae Oxford: Theatro Sheldoniano (1745) [1486]).

[3] Speed J. The History of Great Britaine under the Conquests of ye Romans, Saxons, Danes and Normans William Hall & William Beale (1611).

[4] Speed J. The History of Great Britaine under the Conquests of ye Romans, Saxons, Danes and Normans William Hall & William Beale (1611).

[5] Bilson C. J. Medieval Leicester Edgar Backus (1920).

[6] Bilson C. J. Medieval Leicester Edgar Backus (1920).

[7] Baldwin D. King Richard’s grave in Leicester. Trans. Leicestershire Archaeol. and Hist. Soc. 60, 21–24 (1986).

[8] Baldwin D. King Richard’s grave in Leicester. Trans. Leicestershire Archaeol. and Hist. Soc. 60, 21–24 (1986).

[9] Strange A. The Grey Friars, Leicester. Ricardian 3, 3–7 (1975).

[10] Strange A. The Grey Friars, Leicester. Ricardian 3, 3–7 (1975).

Save citation to file

Email citation

Add to Collections

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search

Create a file for external citation management software

Your RSS Feed

Identification of the remains of King Richard III

Affiliations

Identification of the remains of King Richard III

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Figures

Similar articles

Cited by

References

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Associated data

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Other Literature Sources

Abstract

Figures

Similar articles

Cited by

References

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Associated data

Related information

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Other Literature Sources