Thousands support York's bid for Richard III remains

Thousands of people have signed a petition calling for Richard III to be reinterred at York Minster.

A skeleton found buried under a Leicester car park was confirmed as that of the former king on Monday.

A campaign for the remains to be placed at the minster has been building and an online e-petition to the government has received more than 8,000 signatures.

The campaign has been supported by York's Richard III museum, tourism body Welcome to Yorkshire and the council.

An e-petition calling for the king's remains to remain in Leicester has been signed by more than 2,000 people.

'Moral high ground'

Richard, the last monarch of the House of York, grew up at Middleham Castle in the Yorkshire Dales.

He funded the fourth floor of Monk Bar, York's 14th Century gateway, and the Richard III museum can be found within its walls.

Some historians believe Richard even planned to be buried at York Minster.

The terms of the exhumation licence mean the king's remains will be reinterred at Leicester Cathedral unless a legal challenge against it is mounted.

Kersten England, chief executive of the city council, confirmed she would write a letter to the Queen to put forward the city's case.

She said: "Possession may be nine tenths of the law but we definitely have the moral high ground here."

Plans have already been announced to open a permanent museum to Richard III in Leicester.