In the grand pantheon of British monarchs, some reign for decades, while others leave behind legacies of war, reform, or scandal. But one child monarch is remembered not for what he did – but for what was done to him.
That monarch is Edward V, and to this day, his fate remains one of the most enduring mysteries of the monarchy.
Edward V was just 12 years old when his father, Edward IV, died unexpectedly in April 1483. As the king’s eldest son, Edward was immediately proclaimed king. But he would never wear the crown. Instead, within weeks of his accession, his uncle – the Duke of Gloucester, later Richard III – had taken control of the realm as “Protector.” Edward was lodged in the Tower of London, ostensibly in preparation for his coronation.
But the child monarch’s coronation never came.
Soon after, Edward’s younger brother, Richard, Duke of York, was also brought to the Tower. The official explanation was innocent enough: the boys were to be kept together until the coronation ceremony. But then, sometime during the summer of 1483, the two princes vanished. There were no official announcements, no funerals, and crucially no bodies. The boys had simply… vanished
In their place, their uncle declared himself king of England.
To shore up his claim, Richard III argued that Edward IV’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was invalid due to a prior betrothal; thus rendering his sons illegitimate. Parliament ratified the claim under the act known as Titulus Regius. With that, Richard took the throne, and Edward V – the rightful king – disappeared into a thing of legend.
Historians have speculated endlessly about what happened to the “Princes in the Tower.” The prevailing theory is grim: with the child monarch murdered to eliminate threats to Richard’s reign. But there is no definitive proof. Some contemporary accounts hint at foul play, while others suggest the boys may have survived, spirited away by loyalists.
In 1674, workers remodelling the Tower of London discovered a box containing the skeletons of two young boys beneath a staircase. The remains were interred in Westminster Abbey, and assumed, though never conclusively proven, to be the lost princes. In 1933, a forensic examination of the bones suggested they were indeed of appropriate age, but the technology of the time was far from definitive. Calls for modern DNA testing have since been refused by Buckingham Palace, preserving the mystery.
What’s often overlooked in the shadow of the princes’ disappearance is this remarkable fact: Edward V, for all legal and constitutional purposes, was King of England. He signed documents as king. Coins were minted in his name. Chroniclers of the day recognised his reign, albeit brief. And yet, he was never crowned, never ruled, and never spoken of again once Richard seized power.
Even in the official numbering of monarchs, Edward V holds an almost ghostly place. He is counted, but rarely discussed. His story is less a reign and more a haunting pause in the Plantagenet dynasty – one that ended two years later when Richard III himself fell at Bosworth, and the House of Tudor rose.
In a monarchy known for ceremony, continuity and symbolism, the story of the child monarch, Edward V, is a stark exception. It’s a tale of power seized, innocence lost, and justice denied. And perhaps most chillingly of all, it reminds us that even the crown offers no protection when ambition outweighs loyalty – and when history is written by the victors.
Did Richard III actually save the child monarch he’s accused of killing? Read more from Lydia Starbuck.
