Royal Blood

Spoiler Alert***


The fate of the Princes in the Tower has long been one that has drawn speculation and debate. Many historians have laid the blame at their Uncle's feet, claiming that he murdered them in order to claim the throne for himself, and thereby removing any claim that they would have. Bertram Fields goes through all claims, and documents that he could to look at all possibilities and theories that surround their mysterious disappearance. He takes each theory and fleshes them out.

While reading through reviews, I was almost put off from reading this book, but upon the recommendation of others I decided to give it a go. I am really glad I did. While to some, the intricate details can be a put off, to many, you cannot draw a conclusion one way or the other without all the details. No lawyer goes to trial without as many of the details as he can get, witnesses and so forth, in order to make his case. This book is no different. It takes on the case from each side, and draws as many inferences as it can, while also destroying many of the conclusions that those who have written before have drawn.

I also have to admit that I laughed each time he called out Alison Weir on her “conclusions.” As she claims to “know what was on Richard's mind” when she writes, she declared in her book, “The Princes In The Tower” that she has solved the mystery. Fields brings back the case and shows that it is still as open as it was before. Without any DNA testing and conclusive proof, we are never going to know. However, given that it is 500 years after the fact, we can never have the conclusive proof, without finding a diary that was written to where the author confesses to the deed. Bertram Fields does a wonderful job in bringing the case around and showing all sides, those involved, and who COULD have had a motive to commit the deed. In my opinion, the only person he did not accuse which would have had a motive, would be Lady Stanley. BUT, he draws the case out and fleshes it out in a way that historians can look at it, and begin anew the case of the missing princes. Since so much time has gone by we may never have a definite answer, but the case against Richard has grown considerably weaker, and new suspects emerge with their own possibilities.

I think this book was a great read, and highly recommend it to anyone wishing to learn more about this case and also as a great starting point to anyone who might want begin learning about this fascinating period in history.