Ceremony marks decade since 'car park King' parade

Commemoration events are being held to remember the 10th anniversary of the interment of England's "car park king".

On Wednesday it will be 10 years since Richard III's remains - discovered beneath the tarmac of a car park in the city where Grey Friars Priory once stood - were transported to his final resting place at Leicester Cathedral.

On 26 March 2015, a cortege carrying his oak coffin was paraded from the University of Leicester to Bosworth Battlefield then to the cathedral ahead of his burial five days later.

On Saturday, nearly a decade on, a ceremony at the Market Bosworth heritage centre marked the historical milestone.

A procession led by two mounted knights took place before white roses were laid on a willow cross on the carriage which carried King Richard's remains.

Richard Knox, heritage development manager at Leicestershire County Council which runs the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre, said it was important that King Richard was remembered with the "dignity and honour befitting a king of England".

He said: "With the battlefield being rediscovered back in 2009-2010, and then Richard being rediscovered just a couple of years later, it keeps that story alive.

"When we talk about something like the Wars of the Roses, a power struggle between rival factions, lots of people having to fight, lots of people getting killed and injured, I think it's important that we do reflect.

"I think, especially with the world we're in today, where we're still torn by conflict, I think it's important to see in some ways how far we've come, in some ways how far we haven't."

Historical reenactors representing both sides of the War of the Roses have events programmed throughout Saturday and Sunday.

These include fashions from the 15th Century, artillery demonstrations, hand-to-hand combat, and a drill session for visitors to take part in are programmed throughout Saturday and Sunday.

Mike Powley, deputy chair of the Wars of the Roses Federation, said King Richard's story remains "a major event".

He said: "It's the last King to die in battle on English soil. The focus is remembering Richard and the life that surrounded him."

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