23 May 2014
Remains of Richard III to be buried in Leicester Cathedral rules court
BY Tom Anstey
A court ruling has been made on the remains of Richard III, with the former monarch set to be given a dignified burial inside Leicester Cathedral.
The Royal Courts of Justice announced today (23 May) that there are no public law grounds for the court to interfere with the reburial of the king, and for that reason the application for judicial review put forward by the Plantagenet Alliance has been dismissed.
The decision was reached by three High Court judges who had reviewed whether the exhumation licence obtained by the University of Leicester was lawful.
The Alliance, made up of distant relatives of the King, argued the monarch known as Richard of York should be buried in York Minster and fought to hold a wide-ranging consultation on his final
resting place.
Plans have already been approved to build a new visitor centre dedicated to Richard III, which will be located nearby to the Cathedral and will include two floors of exhibition space and a new covered area allowing visitors access to the grave in which Richard's remains were discovered in September 2012.
“With the support of the city council and the University of Leicester, the cathedral is now planning for the king’s reinterment to take place in the spring of next year,” said Leicester mayor Peter Soulsby.
“This will be a momentous event for the city and county, and an opportunity to show the rest of the world that Leicester is the rightful resting place for the last Plantagenet King of England.
“I have always said that Leicester needs to be more self-confident if it is to thrive, and this news gives us yet another reason to celebrate all that is good about our city, and to look forward with confidence and pride.”
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