Clarification: 17th July 2014
Whilst we fully support the letter below, we would like to clarify that its content was the work of a group of supporters of the King Richard Campaign and not drafted by the Plantagenet Alliance.
Announcement
We would like to thank unreservedly, the many people who helped produce the following letter which was sent to all 1,429 members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons on the 15th July 2014.
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"We are writing to you, every member of the House of Commons and of the House of Lords, to call for the matter of the reburial of King Richard III to be taken with the same seriousness and care as would be given to the death of any current member of the Royal Family. This is a situation of national , and historical significance one which the whole world is watching, with as much confusion and dismay as the many citizens of the United Kingdom who have spoken out over this tragedy in the past two years. Confusion, from the lack of interest and respect given to a former Monarch of England, whose remains have been relegated to the position of a tourist attraction and dismay, as the King's humanity and dignity have been eroded away by the powers that would seek to gain from his reburial in Leicester.
This matter is not and has never been a battle between two cities. It is not and should not be, about urban regeneration and profit. It is not and will never be, about modern success. This matter for the majority of those who seek answers and receive none from those responsible, is one of simple human dignity about honouring the wishes of a man, as supported by historical contemporary evidence and about paying our respects as a nation with as much love and depth of feeling as we do with the loss of each reigning Monarch and member of the Royal Family.
A King, who despite the passing of more than five centuries, is held in great respect by the people, particularly in the north of England where he spent most of his life. Who administrated as Lord of the North from the age of eighteen becoming loved and honoured for his fairness and concern for the lives and welfare of ordinary people. Who chose to spend his marital years at Middleham Castle, where he spent a portion of his childhood and also raised his own son. Who exchanged properties in the south and midlands for northern estates and described each journey to York as his 'home-coming'. Who as King invested his young son as Prince of Wales at York Minster as described in their Fabric Rolls, gave the Chapter rich gifts, even accepted a second 'Coronation' ceremony to honour him. Who established his naval fleet at Scarborough. Whose coinage often bore the words 'Civitas Eboracum' City of York. And who began the construction of an unprecedented chantry chapel at the Minster, six altars completed at the time of his death a place believed to be his chosen mausoleum for himself and his family, as shown by much contemporary evidence and more recently one of his own letters, as unearthed by Mr. Chris Skidmore MP. A potential Letter of Intent in the absence of a will, which bears testimony to the importance of the building's purpose, and King Richard's own faith and wishes.
Although a license granted to Leicester University has been upheld by the High Court, the questions must be asked, 'what right does a provincial university have to decide the final resting place of a King of England? What right did the authorities at Leicester have to demand that his remains must stay in their city or they would deny permission to locate him? What right does a High Court have to disregard a man's wishes, clearly inferred through his life, connections, choices, and historical sources, in spite of there being no surviving written will? And why have the authorities of this land chosen to ignore this matter brushing it aside as if it had no significance? Is the final resting place of a King of England not important? Is respecting human dignity now meaningless in a country which has always prided itself on having decency and fair treatment for all people? And is it respectful of King Richard to recreate his final journey to Leicester in which his body was stripped naked, mocked and spat at and targeted for 'humiliation wounds', to be afterward laid beneath a plain block in a cathedral which has no connection to his faith, his life, or his Kingship?'
Please, we ask you to now raise this matter for full and proper discussion as there should have been at the time of King Richard's discovery to treat him with the same decency, compassion and importance as any other Monarch and to remember his humanity regardless of the propaganda which has blighted his true reputation for the last five hundred years. Whatever you believe of the man, remember his place in our Nation's history as our King his just laws and decrees and that a great many people now wish to see King Richard III returned to the place that he called his home for an honourable royal reburial in York Minster.
For all that we owe him, bear one thing in mind. "In no King's reign were better laws made, than in the reign of this man." - Sir Richard Baker, The Chronicles of the Kings of England. It is our moral duty to honour his wishes, as far as they can be ascertained."
Listen to the letter being read by Rosie Simmons
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