King Richard III Finally Buried After Found Under Parking Lot

530 years after his death in battle, King Richard III was finally given a proper burial after being found under a car parking lot. His remains were found under the tarmac in August 2012 in the center of Leicester. The remains of his body were finally laid on Thursday, March 26, 2015 after 2 years of legal wrangling. The coffin King Richard laid in was built by a distant relative, Michael Ibsen, which DNA proved their identity. They led prayers for the great King in the Leicester Cathedral. Swinging incense and sprinkling holy water over the casket. They also scattered earth from certain locations, marking his birth, life, and death. A distant cousin of the king, also known as the Oscar-nominated actor Benedict Cumberbatch, read a poem written by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy; that was dedicated to Richard III.

“My bones, scripted in light, upon cold soil, a human Braille. My skull, scarred by a crown, emptied of history. Describe my soul as incense, votive, vanishing; your own same. Grant me the carving of my name.”

Even Queen Elizabeth sent a special message to mark for the past King. It read:

“Today we recognize a King who lived through turbulent times and whose Christan faith sustained him in life and death.”

The organizers of the occasion insisted it not to be a sad one. Even with the polished coffin, empty tomb, relatives clad in gloomy, pitch-black suits, it was not meant to be sad. Professor Gordon Campbell welcomed the congregation to the cathedral, just yards away from the famous parking lot that King Richard III had been buried under, with these words that I will leave you with:

“This is not a funeral at which we mourn.”

To find out more about King Richard III being found under a parking lot and his past, visit CNN.com.

"Richard III, King Found under Parking Lot, Laid to Rest - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network. Web. 27 Mar. 2015. <http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/26/europe/king-richard-buried/index.html>.