King Richard III of England was killed the last time he visited Bosworth Field on 22 Aug. 1485. He was the last English king to die in a battle. In 2012, to the world's surprise, his remains were discovered beneath a Leicester car park. This time he got a much friendlier reception.
The late king did not receive so much as a horse for his kingdom 530 years ago, but this time he got HRH the Duke of Gloucester, an approving crowd of approximately 2,000 people as well as a 21-gun salute, The Independent reported.
Nance Crawford, a playwright from Los Angeles said: "I am very moved, far more than I thought I would be," while she was staring fervently at the dug-out area where the remains of Richard were found.
Crawford's friends raised $6,000 in order to cover the expenses of her trip after winning a coveted ticket to attend private service on Monday at Leicester Cathedral exclusive for the members of the Richard III Society-a group whose aim is to rehabilitate the reputation of a king, who was, according to them, much maligned by Shakespeare and supporters of Henry Tudor-the one who killed Richard in a battle after he was unhorsed.
Richard will be reburied on Thursday, just near where his skeleton was found, Washington Post reported.
Locals of Leicester gathered on Sunday in the center of the city to watch the televised funeral cortege on big screen. Some even made the effort to dress in period costume.
The funeral cortege was led by knights wearing plate armor of the 15th century and riding horses. They passed by the sites that are said to be of significance to Richard III-this includes the Bow Bridge where he crossed to battle Tudor's armies.
Richard was a Catholic, and the service for him was led by the Catholic archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols.