Richard III is one of the most mysterious figures in English history, and as such is the source of perennial fascination. Comparatively little is known of his early life, his appearance, his interests, for up to 1483 he played second fiddle to his more glorious older brothers, Edward 'this sun of York', and the feckless Clarence.

Cheetham cuts through the legend and the propoganda to try to retrace the life of Richard, the forgotten years before he assumed the throne, and thus to place in focus those final hectic years before the last of the Plantagenets died on Bosworth Field. Did he really believe his brother and nephews were illegitimate? Why did he seize the throne? What happened to the princes in the tower?

First published in 1992, and acknowledged as the inspiration behind Philippa Gregory's portrayal of Richard in her bestselling THE WHITE QUEEN, this new edition brings the story of England's most infamous monarch fully up to date.