Tucked away in a side-room is the tomb of someone even more amazing: Henry’s mother, Margaret Beaufort.

Henry is buried there alongside his wife, Elizabeth of York, in a tomb designed by the Italian sculptor Pietro Torrigiano.

It was thought during the 15th century that the so-called Princes in the Tower were murdered at the behest of their uncle, the usurper Richard III (AP) Photo: APĪmong the Plantagenet tombs that lie at the heart of the great abbey church you can see Edward III’s splendid effigy – hugely significant to the history of the Wars of the Roses since all the major players traced their royal descent to this magnificent 14th century king ( ).īut to my mind the most impressive section of the building is the Lady Chapel, begun in 1503 on the orders of Henry VII – the first Tudor king and the ultimate 'winner’ of the Wars of the Roses. But it is still tantalising to walk around the numerous fortifications and chapels in the Tower of London and speculate about what really happened here 533 years ago … Were these the bones of the lost Princes? Again, we can’t say for sure, and the remains are now held in a marble urn in Westminster Abbey, protected from the prying eyes of historians and scientific analysts. In the 17th century workmen renovating the Tower discovered two small skeletons buried beneath a staircase. Most historians still lean towards that judgment, although the case is not fully proven. It was thought during the 15th century that the so-called Princes in the Tower were murdered at the behest of their uncle, the usurper Richard III.

One of the most extraordinary historical buildings in Britain, the Tower of London is a particularly special destination for anyone interested in the Wars of the Roses, since it was here that the 12-year old King Edward V and his younger brother Prince Richard were sent in the summer of 1483, never to be seen outside the walls again.

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