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The bones of the former king, which were found under a Leicester car park in August 2012, underwent DNA testing and new research has found a break in the male ‘Y chromosome’ line.
This brings the history of the British monarchy since the reign of Henry IV into question.
Previously, scientists determined two female-line relatives of King Richard III, who died at the age of 32 in 1485, and five other male-line relatives that have little royal significance.
The new evidence suggests that the present Queen may not be descended from John of Gaunt and Edward III, the lineage on which the Tudor claim to the throne originated.
The research questions the historic legitimacy concerning the descent of Edward III to his son John of Gaunt and also his two grandsons, John Beaufort, Earl of Somerset and Henry IV, the first Lancastrian King.
It centres around John of Gaunt, who was Tudor King Henry VII’s great great grandfather and ancestor of the Queen.
In a statement on the University of Leicester’s website, Professor Kevin Schürer, who is the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at the University of Leicester, and Dr Turi King said: “Historically Royal succession has taken a number of twists and turns over the centuries and is not based on straight linear inheritance. However, the research does pose a question mark over where the break might have occurred- and the potential implications for the historical monarchy.”
“There are one or more breaks in the chain from Richard III to Henry 5th Duke of Beaufort. There are 19 links in that chain, so there is an equal probability of any one of those 19 being broken. From a historical view point, where the break occurred has differential consequences,” Professor Schürer added.
