Chris Skidmore, the Tory MP and Tudor historian, has tabled an early day motion calling for a full state funeral for Richard III, if the skeleton found in Leicester does turn out to be him. The motion reads:
‘That this House notes the discovery of a skeleton beneath a car park in Leicester believed to be that of Richard III; praises the work of the archaeologists and historians responsible for the find; hopes that DNA evidence will prove the remains to be those of the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty; and calls upon the government to arrange a full state funeral for the deceased monarch, and for his remains to be interred appropriately.’
Skidmore has a particular interest in Richard III: he’s just finished a book on the Battle of Bosworth and is contemplating writing a biography of him. But it would be very odd if a monarch’s remains were disinterred and were not then buried with appropriate ceremony.
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