70 thousand line streets for last king to fall in battle.

[Daogroupie]

How I love the quirky British public! Seventy thousand lined the street to watch the hearse go by, front page news in all the papers today. What would Shakespeare say? Glad to see that we don't all believe he killed the Princes in the Tower.

Did any forum members go? DG

[Guest55]

I'd love to go - shame it was not in a holiday.

Having studied Richard III for O level English Lit I have taken an interest in finding the truth. I've been to the museum in York and read quite a lot. I enjoyed the programme 'Return of the King' yesterday although I found David Starkey extremely rude, interrupting the other speakers (and wrong of course!).

Richard's personal prayer book was also featured on Songs of Praise - very interesting insights.

[Daogroupie]

Gosh loved to see those. Will I find them on iplayer? I am very impressed the British public are so interested in him. We were in Peterborough Cathedral where Catherine of Aragon is buried because Henry refused to let her be buried in Westminster Abbey.


Is the honouring of Richard 111 a reaction against the bully Tudors? DG

[doodles]

Thought the Channel4 programme was good. Informative enough to be interesting but light enough for the children to be interested too.

David Starkey is a nightmare, he is mind boggling rude at times. Almost spitting the word "novelist" at one poor guest and calling the woman who actually pressed for the car park to be dug up a "loon"! Can't stand the man.

[MedievalBabe]

The children watched bits of the programme through out and if we lived nearer I think we would have considered taking them before Thursday when he is reburied properly. DH was fascinated by the whole programme and but David Starkey was very rude, his opinion is correct and no one else's can be even slightly correct. There was an interesting programme on the 2 Princes on Saturday night and everyone else was willing to consider other possible murderers of the Princes except David Starkey. There were several interesting theories of others who would benefit as well as Richard.

Some people can be rude about Phillipa Gregory because she writes historical novels but it has to be remembered that she has a doctorate in Medievel Studies and so does actually know her stuff, her books just make history more palatable for the masses with bits surmised as there is no written evidence which means she can write the inbetween bits and so produce a novel.

[quasimodo]

Some people can be rude about Phillipa Gregory because she writes historical novels but it has to be remembered that she has a doctorate in Medievel Studies and so does actually know her stuff, her books just make history more palatable for the masses with bits surmised as there is no written evidence which means she can write the inbetween bits and so produce a novel.

I must confess to being one of the masses my historical Knowledge of the period being based on the BBC TV drama "The White Queen" which was based on three of Phillipa Gregory's historical novels but never having read the novels. In my bedtime reading have recently got through the second book "Trinity" in the series on the War of the Roses by Con Iggulden another historical fiction author. I am up to 1454 thus far.

Since I am into confessions with my Yorkshire roots you may be able to guess where my sympathies lie.

I having nothing against Leicester but due to my prejudices I was disappointed Richard Duke of York before he was King wasn't going to be returned to his roots.

[spud04]

I took the children to Market Bosworth to see the reinterment procession go past. It was a strange mix of carnival and funeral mainly due to the volume of people and the nice weather. To be fair, when the coffin arrived in the Market Square and they paused for a service it was very quiet and dignified. Virtually everybody had orders of service and most people joined in with the singing of a hymn and prayers. There were also several readings. What I wasn't so sure about was the throwing of the white roses at the hearse. It just smacked slightly too much of the cult of celebrity. I think given that he was never going to have a state funeral Leicester did a good job.

The whole thing has really engaged the children and I think I might take the younger two down to the cathedral this evening to see the coffin lying in repose as I would quite like to take a closer glance at the pall which looks amazing.

[mike1880]

It's a great shame he's been buried in Leicester imo, Leicester isn't exactly a popular destination and having R3 buried there isn't going to make it one. It just means no one will visit his last resting place, which considering the somewhat awesome achievement of finding his remains is a very disappointing outcome.

FWIW foreign contemporaries believed that R3 killed the princes and was an exceptionally nasty piece of work so it wasn't necessarily all Tudor black propaganda.

[Guest55]

foreign contemporaries believed that R3 killed the princes and was an exceptionally nasty piece of work so it wasn't necessarily all Tudor black propaganda.

So what about contempories in this country? He was revered and his passing mourned. He made all laws in English so people could understand and, of course, there are doubts about the parentage of the Princes.

[Stressed?Moi?]

I reckon if he was a good egg they would have at least put him in a coffin so I believe the "he's a meenie" school of thought. There was an article in The Mail (yes, I know!) which described what is believed to be his darker side. Should have left him in the car park I think. Anything that engages people in history and recoups the £2.5m it has cost is fine by me though.