Ever since the discovery of King Richard III’s remains under a car park in the centre of Leicester, there has been a campaign to give the much maligned king a reburial fit for royalty.
The events of Sunday the 22nd of Match were the first step towards that with his coffin being moved from Leicester University, which discovered the remains, to his final resting place in Leicester Cathedral.
The funeral cortege made the journey via stopovers at various places of high relevance to the King Richard story, which included a ceremony at the Bosworth Heritage Centre, which is near the site of his final battle.
Another ceremony took place at the historic Bow Bridge, which King Richard crossed on his way to battle and across which his body was brought back into the city. This was followed by short service at St. Nicholas Church, the oldest place of Christian worship in the city. It was after the church service that the coffin was transferred from a hearse, to a horse drawn carriage for the remainder of it’s journey.
Approximately thirty five thousand people attended events across the city and county. They came from all over the world, fulfilling Leicester Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby’s hopes, that the reinterment will provide the city with a huge tourism boost, not just now but for years to come.
The day ended with a service of compline at the Catherdral. Over the next couple of days people will have the chance to file past his coffin and pay their respects. Then on Thursday King Richard III will finally by reinterred into a specially built tomb in the Cathedral, ending a dramatic story that started some 500 years ago.
