Princes in the Tower

When King Edward IV died in 1483, his 12-year-old son Edward V and 9-year-old brother Richard of Shrewsbury were entrusted to their uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, for protection. Instead, the boys were taken to the Tower of London, ostensibly for Edward's coronation - a ceremony that never came. Gloucester seized power, declaring the princes illegitimate on the claim their father had committed bigamy, and crowned himself Richard III. After that, the young heirs vanished from history. Whispers spread like wildfire: the boys, once seen playing in the Tower gardens, were no more. Their disappearance ignited centuries of suspicion, fear, and unanswered questions that still haunt English history.

Though Richard III has long stood as the chief villain in this dark mystery, the truth remains elusive. Contemporary accounts, like those of Dominic Mancini, suggest the boys were hidden away and slowly faded from view. Later rumors implicated not only Richard, but also his former ally, the Duke of Buckingham, and even his enemy, Henry VII, who had every reason to ensure the princes would never threaten his claim. Confessions, accusations, and bloodstained legends followed - from shadowy midnight murders to secret survivals - but no proof has ever risen from the Tower's ancient stones.

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