They May Not Have Legit Claim to the Throne

A claim to the throne has always been a significant deal historically. Whoever has the greatest right to rule has been the subject of wars. Although it might not be as important to the average person nowadays, the Royal Family nevertheless values it highly. If for some reason they were not the rightful successors to the throne, they would then be simply plain people who would need to find a house to rent someplace.

Generally speaking, no one contests the legitimacy of the Royal Family, but DNA testing on a body discovered in a parking lot has raised the possibility of some disturbance. Sadly, King Richard III passed away in 1485 after being killed in combat. At Greyfriars Abbey, his body was buried. But a lot may happen in more than 500 years, and the King and the Abbey were largely forgotten. Such that his final resting place ended up being beneath a parking lot for an office building.

It was known that the property had originally been the location of the Abbey since other bodies had been found there over the years. When the King's body was discovered, DNA testing was done to identify the remains, and Richard's DNA results came back positive. The Y-chromosomes in the DNA tests don't match others in the Royal line, which is a twist in the story.

The remains of Richard were identified using his maternal line. However, if the Y-chromosome, which is carried down from the male side, is mismatched, it suggests that there may have been an affair somewhere along the family line. Someone gave birth to a child that was not of the Royal line at some point in history, and they may have fudged the facts to make it appear the child was legitimate. Heck, perhaps they weren't even aware.

There is no way to determine when the family line was impacted by this affair because we are unable to pinpoint when it may have started. Therefore, it's possible that the present Royals aren't the real deal. It might go back so far that all of the Plantagenets might not be legitimate heirs to the throne. They could be the real Royal family, or they might not be at all. That kind of confusion might arise from genetics and history.

Reign: 26 June 1483 – 22 August 1485, Coronation6 July 1483
Predecessor: Edward V
Successor: Henry VII

Born:2 October 1452Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire, England
Died: 22 August 1485 (aged 32)Bosworth Field, Leicestershire, England