York announces ceremonies to mark Richard III reburial
- Published
Richard III had a long association with the north of England
A number of ceremonies to mark the reinterment of Richard III in Leicester Cathedral are to be held in York.
Events on 26 March include a civic procession through the city, an address by the Lord Mayor and a special service at York Minster.
The remains of the king were found beneath a Leicester car park in 2012. He will be reinterred in the city's cathedral on 26 March.
Descendants of his family lost a legal challenge to have him reburied in York.
Richard III spent much of his youth in Yorkshire and during the reign of his brother, Edward IV, he governed the north of England on behalf of the King.
The Very Reverend Vivienne Faull, Dean of York Minster, said: "On the evening of the reinterment of King Richard III, it is right that the people of York and Yorkshire will have the opportunity to gather in the Minster to pray and to remember the death of the King at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485."
Events in York will begin at the Minster
She said the service would include a prayer composed by the Dean of Leicester.
The events on the 26 March, organised by the Minster, City of York Council, the York Museums Trust and the University of York include:
A Solemn Choral Evensong will be held to commemorate King Richard III at York Minster, starting at 17:15 GMT
A procession led by the civic party and senior clergy will begin from the South Door of the Minster at 18:20 GMT and walk across the Piazza, along Stonegate, to St Helen's Square and end outside the Mansion House
From the Mansion House steps, The Right Honourable, The Lord Mayor of York, will address the procession
A new exhibition on Richard III at the Yorkshire Museum, entitled Richard III: Man & Myth, will open on 27 March
Who was Richard III?
Richard was born in 1452 at Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire
His coronation took place in Westminster Abbey in 1483
Richard had one of the shortest reigns in British history - 26 months
He was the last English king to die in battle, killed at Bosworth in 1485