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King Richard III to be reinterred on March 26

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Press Trust of India London
Last Updated : Aug 07 2014 | 5:20 PM IST
More than 500 years after his death, Richard III, the last Yorkist King of England, will receive an effective state funeral when he is reinterred on March 26 next year at a cost of 2.5 million pounds, it was announced today.
The reinterment, which will take place at Leicester Cathedral, has been announced two years after the King's remains were found beneath a car park - making him the only English monarch without a marked grave.
A week-long series of events will see the slain king's coffin travel from Bosworth, where he died in battle in 1485, to the city where he was first buried, the BBC reported.
The ceremony is estimated to cost of 2.5 million pounds.
Richard III was the last Yorkist king of England, whose death at the age of 32 in the Battle of Bosworth effectively ended the Wars of the Roses.
Richard's grave was lost to later development and then rediscovered under a Leicester council car park in 2012. The remains, including a curved spine, were confirmed as those of the king, after a series of tests including DNA analysis, in February 2013.

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A group of people claiming to be distant relatives of Richard were granted a judicial review into the licence that gave Leicester the right to reinter his remains. This was dismissed in May this year.
Cathedral authorities said Richard's skeleton would be placed in a coffin at the University of Leicester on March 22.
After arriving at the cathedral, Richard's remains will lie "in repose" for three days before being reinterred.
The Bishop of Leicester David Monteith said details of the ceremony would be released later but revealed it would have "the character of a state funeral without being one".
He added: "While it seems to have been hasty, Richard had some sort of burial and it is inconceivable that some sort of prayers were not said at the time.
"Therefore, the ceremony will have the elements of a reinterment ceremony of his time."
The cathedral is "in conversation" with the royal household about who will attend the ceremony.
The sealed tomb, itself the source of controversy about the design, will be unveiled on March 28.
Dr Phil Stone, chairman of the Richard III Society, said: "This will mean Richard will get the dignified ceremony he was denied in 1485.
"I feel the planned service will carry the weight you expect for an anointed monarch.

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First Published: Aug 07 2014 | 5:20 PM IST

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