A thrilling day

I have to confess I did not set my alarm for 4 a.m. Feb. 4th to listen to the actual broadcast of the DNA results for Richard's bones. I am on vacation in Mexico after a hectic two months of theater and "Royal Mistress" editing and needed my sleep!

But when I did get my lazy bones out of bed, it was to see a barrage of emails and Facebook postings telling me that yes, indeed, that skeleton found under the car park in Leicester was Richard's. I almost wept. To be honest, my fellow Richard III Society and I were convinced the results would be positive, but there was nothing like hearing it for real.

One of the emails was from a research assistant at BBC's The World distributed in the US by Public Radio International. She wanted me to call and chat about what finding out it was Richard meant to me as a RIII Society member and an historical novelist who writes about Richard and the Wars of the Roses. I have to admit I used to work at a PBS station in Northern New York, where, at the same time, Marco Werman, The World's anchor, was also working. We have stayed in touch over the years and he knew of my obsession with Richard!

Within the hour, I was doing an interview with Marco, and that afternoon I got to live-stream the program and listen to it in my adorable little casita in San Miguel de Allende. Suddenly, the number of hits to my website tripled! All very exciting, especially as "Royal Mistress" is coming out in May in which Richard is a major character. Marco kindly gave me a plug for the book at the end of our interview. It all helps ;-)

So what does hearing the news that we have found Richard's ill-treated body mean. For me personally, it means that when they decide where to re-inter his remains, there will be somewhere for me to go and pay my respects next time I am home in England. But more important, it means that this global news story may re-kindle interest in this much-maligned king, and others will realize that the history books have defamed Richard over the centuries and spread the word. And finally, perhaps the portrait painted by Shakespeare will be recognized and appreciated as a brilliant role for a male actor in a dramatic but fictional play.

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