Richard III dig: Facial reconstruction shows how king may have looked

King Richard IIIA facial reconstruction based on the skull of Richard III has revealed how the English king may have looked.

A skeleton found under a car park in Leicester has been confirmed as that of the king.

The reconstructed face has a slightly arched nose and prominent chin, similar to features shown in portraits of Richard III painted after his death.

Historian and author John Ashdown-Hill said seeing it was “almost like being face to face with a real person”.

The development comes after archaeologists from the University of Leicester confirmed the skeleton found last year was the 15th Century king’s, with DNA from the bones having matched that of descendants of the monarch’s family.

Richard was killed in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, at the age of 32 and after just two years on the throne, having been challenged by the forces of Henry Tudor, the future Henry VII.

King Richard III
Photo courtesy of the BBC

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