We respectfully request that the bones alleged to be the remains of the sons of Edward IV be subjected to modern scientific examination and DNA analysis. Since they were discovered at the bottom of a staircase at the Tower of London in 1674, the only attempt to identify them took place in 1933. The significant advances in methods of analysis, as demonstrated by the recent identification of King Richard III make it exteremely likely that a battery of similar tests could conclusively settle the question of their identity.
The examination of the bones will not only bring closure to this question, but it will either place them in their proper place in history or open up the question of the fate of these young princes for further research. Although King Richard III, the reigning monarch from 1483-1485, has been accused of their murder, there is no conclusive evidence of when they died or who might be responsible.
It is imperative that we attempt to resolve one of England’s greatest historical mysteries. The rediscovery of King Richard III's resting place and the DNA samples available from him as well as the descendants of the House of York, both of whom are the last of their line, provide a unique opportunity to do this. As these remains are in an urn in Westminster Abbey there is no grave that will be disturbed. We believe that these tests will exonerate the last Plantagenet king, but whatever the results, the time to find an answer is now.
