Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Ravne tunnels.
Ravne Tunnels
Colors and volumes in the patio.
Monterrey’s Contemporary Art Museum (MARCO)
Inside Wonderwerk Caves, underground caves and excavation, Kuruman, Northern Cape
Wonderwerk Cave
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Burros Alfa and Beto, seen here with Luis Soriano in 2008, have been helping the teacher deliver books for more than 20 years.
How One Man and His ‘Biblioburro’ Spreads Literacy in Rural Colombia
1 day ago
Price Tower
What Happened to Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper?
3 days ago
Jeremy Bentham’s Auto-Icon in its new location in 2020
The Jeremy Bentham Auto-Icon: Why This Legendary Philosopher Put His Own Body on Display
4 days ago
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
5 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England London Two Princes Staircase
AO Edited

Two Princes Staircase

Richard III supposedly disposed of his nephews' bodies here in an effort to seal his claim to the throne.

London, England

Added By
William Davis
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Two Princes Staircase in the White Tower.   satxwdavis / Atlas Obscura User
Two Princes Staircase in the White Tower.   satxwdavis / Atlas Obscura User
The White Tower, the old keep at the Tower of London.   satxwdavis / Atlas Obscura User
The White Tower exterior.   satxwdavis / Atlas Obscura User
The White Tower was originally built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century.   satxwdavis / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In the White Tower, the old keep at the Tower of London, there is a small staircase tucked away near the entrance. Called the Two Princes Staircase, it’s where the skeletons of two children were found during renovations in 1674. It’s widely believed the skeletons are of the two princes who disappeared at the site in the late 15th century.

Though there has yet to be any scientific evidence to back up the claim, people throughout history have suspected the bones once belonged to Edward V and Richard Duke of York, the sons of King Edward IV. Although supporters of the Tudors claim that when the king died, his brother, Richard III (who was known as Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester prior to his coronation) had the boys murdered to cement his claim to the throne, although, there is no contemporary evidence of this. Titulus Regius had declared the princes illegitimate, due to Edward IV's pre-contract. 

Richard III had originally taken them into his custody in the White Tower after their father’s death in April of 1483. There were no recorded sightings of the young princes after that following summer.

After the bones were discovered buried beneath the stairs in the 17th century, it became widely accepted that they were those of the two princes. Even Shakespeare, who, of course, was writing during the reign of the Tudors, portrayed Richard III as an evil, scheming, murderous uncle in his play of the same name.

But their true identity may never be known for certain. The two skeletons currently reside in Westminster Abbey, where they were reburied. DNA testing has never been conducted, as the Church of England (with Royal backing) has continually refused to allow anyone to exhume and examine the remains.

Related Tags

Castles Stairs Death Royalty Murder Skeletons Towers History

Know Before You Go

There is a display of the staircase up the first flight of stairs of the White Tower. Unfortunately, there is a information placard blocking the view, preventing a clear sight of the steps.

Community Contributors

Added By

satxwdavis

Edited By

SEANETTA, JLP60615, cannonw59, Monsieur Mictlan...

  • SEANETTA
  • JLP60615
  • cannonw59
  • Monsieur Mictlan
  • Collector of Experiences

Published

August 2, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/feb/05/princes-in-tower-staying-under
  • http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/the-princes-in-the-tower-will-the-ultimate-cold-case-finally-be-solved-after-more-than-500-years-10466190.html
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princes_in_the_Tower
  • http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/The-Princes-in-the-Tower/
Two Princes Staircase
HM Tower Of London
St Katharine's & Wapping
London, England
United Kingdom
51.508112, -0.078138
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Tower of London's Ceremony of the Keys

London, England

miles away

The Tower of London Menagerie

London, England

miles away

Byward Tower Hand

London, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of London

London

England

Places 536
Stories 110

Nearby Places

Tower of London's Ceremony of the Keys

London, England

miles away

The Tower of London Menagerie

London, England

miles away

Byward Tower Hand

London, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of London

London

England

Places 536
Stories 110

Related Stories and Lists

8 Secrets of the Tower of London

List

By Kerry Wolfe

Related Places

  • The car park during the excavation

    Leicester, England

    King Richard III's Car Park

    More than 500 years after his death, a medieval ruler's remains were found buried under a parking lot.

  • Deer outside Eremitageslottet

    Dyrehaven, Denmark

    Eremitageslottet (Hermitage Hunting Lodge)

    The castle used by the Danish Royal Family as a hunting retreat.

  • Madison Dry Goods Museum

    Madison, North Carolina

    Madison Dry Goods and Country Store

    The upstairs museum delves into the Lawson family murder, whose eight victims were embalmed at this store in 1929.

  • Fortress of Bač

    Bač, Serbia

    Bač Fortress

    A well preserved medieval fortress in Vojvodina.

  • Huis Doorn

    Doorn, Netherlands

    Huis Doorn

    The elegant manor house where Kaiser Wilhelm II lived in exile after World War I.

  • The picture-perfect setting.

    Hillerød, Denmark

    Frederiksborg Castle

    This striking royal residence is the largest Renaissance-style castle in Scandinavia.

  • The plague victim skeleton at the Charterhouse.

    London, England

    The Charterhouse Black Death Skeleton

    This historic building displays the remains of a victim of the devastating 14th-century plague.

  • The facade of the house.

    Stockholm, Sweden

    Last Home of Descartes

    A plaque marks the house in Stockholm where the French philosopher René Descartes lived up until his death.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.