title: Identification of the remains of King Richard III.
abstract: In 2012, a skeleton was excavated at the presumed site of the Grey Friars friary in Leicester, the last-known resting place of King Richard III. Archaeological, osteological and radiocarbon dating data were consistent with these being his remains. Here we report DNA analyses of both the skeletal remains and living relatives of Richard III. We find a perfect mitochondrial DNA match between the sequence obtained from the remains and one living relative, and a single-base substitution when compared with a second relative. Y-chromosome haplotypes from male-line relatives and the remains do not match, which could be attributed to a false-paternity event occurring in any of the intervening generations. DNA-predicted hair and eye colour are consistent with Richard's appearance in an early portrait. We calculate likelihood ratios for the non-genetic and genetic data separately, and combined, and conclude that the evidence for the remains being those of Richard III is overwhelming.
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK [2] School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
authors.forename: Turi E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: King
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Biology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK [2] Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Universität Potsdam, Karl-Liebknechtstr. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany.
authors.forename: Gloria Gonzalez
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Fortes
authors.affiliation: UMR5288-CNRS/Université Paul Sabatier-Toulouse 3 Laboratoire Anthropologie Moléculaire et Imagerie de Synthèse Faculté de Médecine Purpam 37, allées Jules Guesde, 31073 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Balaresque
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Mark G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Balding
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
authors.forename: Pierpaolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maisano Delser
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.affiliation: 1] Institute of Legal Medicine, Innsbruck Medical University, Muellerstraße 44, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria [2] Pennsylvania State University, Eberly College of Science, Thomas Bldg, #517, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA.
authors.forename: Walther
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Parson
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Knapp
authors.affiliation: 1] Molecular Anthropology Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, Yale University, Yale, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA [2] Department of Forensic Molecular Biology, Erasmus MC University Medical Centre Rotterdam, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.affiliation: UMR5288-CNRS/Université Paul Sabatier-Toulouse 3 Laboratoire Anthropologie Moléculaire et Imagerie de Synthèse Faculté de Médecine Purpam 37, allées Jules Guesde, 31073 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Laure
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tonasso
authors.affiliation: Space Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Holt
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Molecular Biology, Erasmus MC University Medical Centre Rotterdam, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kayser
authors.affiliation: School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
authors.forename: Jo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Appleby
authors.affiliation: 1] McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3ER, UK [2] Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0DF, UK.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Forster
authors.affiliation: Department of the History of Art and Film, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ekserdjian
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Biology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK [2] Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Universität Potsdam, Karl-Liebknechtstr. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hofreiter
authors.affiliation: Centre for English Local History, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schürer
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D041322:Chromosomes, Human, Y / Q000235:genetics*; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000032:analysis*; D018732:Forensic Anthropology; D053803:Forensic Genetics; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010334:Paternity
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial