Professor Thornton shows Jason Watkins and Dr Tracy Borman his ‘new discovery’ that no one has ever seen before but only they have…. Channel 5 Documentary ‘Princes in the Tower: Damning Discovery’
Where to begin…should I even do so? But needs must…. Around early November 2024 it had begun to be mooted about on social media that Dr Tracy Borman, author, historian and co-curator of Historic Royal Palaces would soon announce an amazing discovery including damning evidence that would prove that King Richard III had indeed murdered his nephews, Edward V and Richard duke of York. All would finally be revealed on the 3rd December when a Channel 5 documentary entitled Princes in the Tower: A Damning Discovery, co-presented with Professor Tim Thornton and actor Jason Watkins, was finally broadcast. Jason Watkins is an interesting choice of co-host being extremely likeable, affable and, with an air of honesty about him, a throughly good egg. Was he chosen for these very attributes so as to lend an air of integrity to the documentary ? Although a fine actor he comes across as not being particularly au fait with the period, accepting all ‘evidence ‘ without question and accompanied with quite a bit of Oooohing and Aaaahing.
Jason went on to mention that the story of the Princes has fascinated him since childhood although any research he may have made into the story must have been rudimentary because if he had done so he would have been aware that it is far from certain that ‘two children have been murdered’ as he emphatically states. He further expounds on the matter – unfortunately – ‘but Richard was not content to be just Lord Protector – he crowned himself king – and the princes were never seen again’.….Yikes! Just prior to the broadcasting of the programme a statement was issued by the Richard III Society followed by a post on the https://riiiresearch.blogspot.com which I will return to later. In the interim interested parties would wonder what on earth this ‘damning evidence‘ could possibly be. Was it perhaps a newly discovered letter penned by Richard on the eve of Bosworth in which he finally owned up to the slaughter of his brother’s two young sons but he had been between a rock and a hard place and had no choice? Or perhaps a diary entry written by his mother, Cecily Neville, revealing that she had known all along that her son had done in his two nephews but it had been cruel necessity? Or maybe an admission from Bishop Robert Stillington that he had fabricated the evidence that he had presented to Parliament in 1483 proving the pre-contract, i.e. marriage, between Edward IV and Lady Eleanor Butler née Talbot? Or had Sir James Tyrell’s confession finally been unearthed? What on earth could it be?
Finally the documentary was broadcast enabling us to look at each presenters input…
Photo with thanks to the National Archives.
Professor Tim Thornton, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Huddersfield, announces a ‘new discovery’ to an incredulous Borman and Watkins. “You are the first people to see this”. Oh dear. He then indicates a large tome that contains the will of Margaret, Lady Capell (d.1522), widow of Sir William Capell (b.1448-d.1515) (1).
How exciting…. if only it were true…
This would be a good place to point out that the will has been known about since at least 1826 when it was published with other old wills in Testamenta Vetusta edited by Sir Nicholas Harris Nicholas (2) Furthermore that was not the only occasion mention has been made of it : ‘In 1906, William Minet quoted Margaret’s bequest of Edward V’s chain in the introduction to an article on the Capell family. In 1994, Diana Scarisbrick mentioned many of Margaret’s jewellery bequests, including Edward V’s chain, in a survey of fashions in late medieval jewellery. In 2015 Dr Susan James referred to it in the context of women’s voices in Tudor wills. She gave it as an example of women handing on relics with royal associations which ‘burnished the memory of the giver by announcing her associations with monarchy’. Professor Barbara Harris also used the will extensively in 2002 in a discussion of women’s pious bequests. There are probably others, but no previous scholar seems to have suggested that it provided any link with Sir James Tyrell… ‘ (3)
Anyway to return to the document…..
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