I guess he felt he had to look the part.’
’He looked the part all right, but the Londoners weren't buying. Despite the magnificent display and the large number of nobles assembled, the atmosphere was ripe with tension and resentment. No one was about to say very much though with the Duke of Northumberland's troops just outside the gates and the city dotted with men in Richard's livery.
‘Actually, poor old Dickie started his reign at a decided disadvantage. Not only were the circumstances a subject of gossip and dissatisfaction, but quite frankly, he didn't look like a king, at least compared to his brother. Edward the Fourth was a big man, fair of face with chestnut coloured hair, a regal bearing and a winning smile. He was totally charming and made a habit of stopping and chatting with the common folk who adored him and forgave him everything. Richard had none of these qualities.
‘We know even today how important looks are for any public figure, particularly a politician. To win hearts and minds for that matter, you had to have charisma. I think Richard had it, but at a personal level, one on one, but I doubt if he was able to project himself sufficiently well to deflect the fear, suspicion and down right hatred which surrounded him. He may have seen himself as the sole legitimate heir of the House of York and the throne of England, but what did others see?
‘After the ceremony in Westminster Abbey, a huge banquet was set out in Westminster Hall. It lasted five and half hours, if you can believe it. Archbishop Bourgchier anointed and crowned Richard King of England but he didn’t attend the party afterwards. Makes you wonder what thoughts raced through his mind as he placed the crown on Richard's head. All the promises he made to Elizabeth Wydville regarding the safety of the two Princes. He must have been sick with worry, knowing the two boys were so closely guarded in the Tower.
‘There were a few other absentees at the banquet too including Richard's mother and Buckingham's wife, Katherine Wydville who was ordered by her husband to stay at home.’
‘I don't suppose Elizabeth Wydville even received an invitation.’
‘No, she was off the guest list too. A day or two after the coronation, Richard and Anne went to Greenwich Palace and then on to Windsor. The northern troops were sent home, much to the relief of the Londoners and life resumed its normal pace or at least it appeared to. Rumours regarding the fate of the two Princes persisted, however. Shortly after Richard left the city to begin his grand tour of the country, the boys ceased to be seen altogether.’
‘He killed them before he left London?’
Raising a warning finger, Laura paused. ‘Remember, no one knows for sure what happened to the Princes. Many sources have suggested that Richard had the boys murdered before he left London. Shakespeare wrote it that way but there’s evidence enough to suggest that they were still alive then. For one thing, More states that a fellow by the name of Miles Forrest was assigned to guard the two Princes shortly after Richard’s departure. Forrest was a northerner, had a criminal record and was totally loyal to Richard.’
‘Oh, oh,’ Gail said, the tone ominous.
Laura looked up and smiled. With her chin resting in both palms and her body leaning slightly forward, Gail was all attention. Laura just hoped she was listening carefully because this was one version which, although plausible, left Laura decidedly uneasy.
Just as Laura was about to begin, their meals arrived. Rearranging her note book, Laura continued between mouthfuls. ‘On the seventeenth of July, Richard appointed Sir Robert Brackenbury, Constable of the Tower with the specific task of seeing to the safekeeping of the two boys. Brackenbury was also totally loyal to Richard. He had been Treasurer of the Household in the North, working his way into Richard's confidence after years of service. He was apparently considered to be an honourable man although he also seemed incapable of seeing anything wrong in his royal master, and in fact, died with Richard at Bosworth. Brackenbury took his job seriously, no doubt realising the potential risk posed by the two Princes in the Tower.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, Richard must have realised that attempts would be made to free the boys; spirit them away to the Continent perhaps. They were a focal point for rebellion and Richard could ill afford to allow Tower security to be a casual affair. Short of ensuring that the two Princes were closely watched and surrounded by men of proven loyalty to him, Richard seemed content to let matters rest. The boys might have lived if their mother hadn't stirred up trouble, plotting against Richard and inciting rebellion. In a sense, she sealed their fate.’
‘Do you really think Richard would have let the boys live out their days in the Tower? Not much of a life?’
‘I don't think he actively sought their deaths. Keeping them out of public view as he did, he probably subscribed to the belief that, out of sight was out of mind, and hoped that his good government would eventually persuade those against him that he made the better king after all. Seems reasonable to me, but as I said, Liz Wydville just couldn't leave it alone.
‘In late July, while at Minster Lovell, Richard was informed of a plot to evacuate the Princesses from Sanctuary and send them overseas in the belief that, with the female line safely out of reach, Richard would think twice about doing away with his nephews. Elizabeth Wydville reasoned that if a marriage could be arranged for the eldest daughter, Elizabeth of York, to a suitable prince willing to fight to regain his wife's inheritance and naturally a throne too, she would find herself back in power.’
‘It's almost as if she thought her sons were already dead,’ Gail said sadly.
‘Perhaps she did. They were certainly held so securely in the Tower that they might as well have been. It would have been not only a waste of time, but dangerous too, to have attempted to rescue them so she may well have supposed them lost.
‘Anyhow, Richard sent a note to John Russell, now acting as Lord Chancellor, basically instructing him to look into what became known as the “Sanctuary Plot” and arrest any conspirators. Russell was only partially successful since the rebels fled abroad and Elizabeth and her daughters remained safely out of reach in sanctuary.
‘As Richard continued his progress north, he must have had time to think. When he reached Gloucester he sent for a John Green, another trusted retainer, and gave him specific orders, sending Green, according to More’s account, unto Sir Robert Brackenbury, Constable of the Tower, with a letter and credence that the same Sir Robert should in any wise put the two children to death.’
‘No,’ Gail said firmly, ‘I can't imagine Richard would be stupid enough to write a letter. Hope the weather's nice, oh and PS, please murder the two boys for me. That just doesn't make sense.’
Laura smiled indulgently. ‘The letter would be carefully worded and Green would carry “credence”, perhaps something personal of Richard's like a ring or something that Brackenbury would recognise. Green would advise Brackenbury of Richard's intentions verbally, nothing written. Anyhow, Brackenbury refused to do the job and Green was forced to return to Richard having failed in his mission.
‘The Duke of Buckingham was with Richard in Gloucester at this time. Sir Thomas More suggests that Richard told Buckingham of his decision to do away with the Princes and that Buckingham was appalled. He had helped Richard to gain the throne but the murder of the boys was going too far. Anyhow, they had a dreadful argument. Pleading urgent family business, Buckingham quit Richard's presence and returned to his holdings in the Welsh Marshes.
‘Richard
