For centuries, the fate of two princes, Edward V and Richard Duke of York, has been shrouded in mystery. According to Tudor and Stuart histories, they were brutally murdered by their uncle Richard III, who took the throne for himself after their father's death. The remains of the two princes are believed to be buried in an urn designed by Sir Christopher Wren within the Tower of London.

However, despite numerous attempts to uncover the truth, the bones have never been conclusively identified as those of the princes. In 1995, a request was made to carbon date the bones and conduct DNA testing to prove their identities. The then dean of Westminster, Michael Mayne, strongly resisted both requests, citing concerns that the tests could not provide conclusive evidence and would potentially create further problems.

The historian Lord Blake and an Oxford archaeology professor, Edward Hall, were consulted on the matter. They warned that carbon dating a sample from the late 15th century would only establish the accuracy of the bones within plus or minus 50 years, which would not be sufficient to differentiate between Richard III or Henry VII being the guilty party.

Despite the lack of conclusive evidence, many believe that the remains in the urn are those of the two princes. The Richard III Society, a group dedicated to uncovering the truth about the king's life and death, has led several attempts to get the urn opened for testing. In 1993, the BBC and Channel 4 also attempted to gain access to the urn, but were met with resistance from the church authorities.

The church's reluctance to open the urn was largely due to concerns that the tests could not finally establish whether Richard III was responsible for the princes' deaths or if they had indeed been murdered. Additionally, there was uncertainty about what would happen to the remains if the DNA tests were negative, potentially leaving the church with the dilemma of how to manage bogus bones.

Ultimately, the request for DNA testing was refused on the grounds that it could set a precedent for testing historical theories that would lead to multiple royal disinterments. The matter has since been laid to rest, and the remains of the two princes remain in their urn within the Tower of London, their fate and identity still shrouded in mystery.

Two skeletons found in tower of london