Free Cold Case Reopened: The Princes in the Tower by Mark Garber

always try to live up to and, if possible, go one step further than their parents? Is it not conceivable that she may have wanted to go even further than mother and rule in her own name?
    Elizabeth's relationship with Richard III is somewhat complex. It could be said that Richard was driven by lust when he pursued his teenage niece. Numerous reports say that Elizabeth was extremely beautiful and particular praise was made of her large breasts. As a teenage girl with little experience of men, Elizabeth would likely have been flattered by the attention shown to her by an older, powerful, charismatic man. The fact that the present queen was not yet dead brought an element of scandal into the equation. Kings of England were expected to have mistresses; Richard certainly had his own bastard children. Despite this, they weren't expected to be lining up a better long-term match while their present queen still lived. If you consider that the match being planned was with the daughter of your brother and the sister to two boys that many people had already believed that you had killed, then you can imagine the uproar.  
    The paragraph above assumes that Elizabeth of York was nothing more than naive young girl. It assumes, like many historians before me, that she was an innocent victim, hunted down by a lustful older man. But what if that wasn't the case at all? What if she was the hunter and she was simply playing Richard and making him dance to her tune?  
    Her mother's upbringing and influence would surely have had an effect on Elizabeth of York's character. Elizabeth Woodville would not have brought up her daughter to be a shy, retiring wallflower. She would surely have spoken to her daughter about men and how to entice them. If she was as stunning as the reports state, then Elizabeth of York would have already understood the effect she had on gentlemen. What if Elizabeth Woodville had also brought her daughter up to believe that she could be anything that she wanted and have anything that she wanted? What if Elizabeth of York firmly had her eyes on the crown?
    Elizabeth of York probably did not truly believe that she could rule in her own name. Even though Salic law did not exist in England, no queen had ever been on the throne. The best route to a crown was to marry the man who wore it. However, as a leading claimant herself who knows what might happen if that man then died? Could she remain on the throne in her own name? With enough loyal figures around her, it would seem quite possible. However, there was still an obstacle in Elizabeth's way – her brothers. While the princes lived, Elizabeth of York's value was not as strong as if she were Edward IV's heir. Elizabeth would understand that completely. What if Elizabeth came up with a scheme to kill her imprisoned brothers and thus make herself the undisputed heir?
    Elizabeth's relationship with Richard certainly gave her the opportunity to arrange the deaths of her brothers. We cannot be certain how far this relationship had progressed. A number of notable historians do suggest that Richard and Elizabeth were sleeping together on a regular basis. I am not saying that this is the case, we cannot be sure. But no-one can know what happens behind closed doors (in my experience the strangest things happen behind closed doors), but ideas could have been whispered into Richard's ear by his niece. Attractive women can and do persuade powerful men to do all kinds of deeds. History also tells us that powerful men are partially prone to the charms of attractive young women. I don't believe that it would have taken much to persuade Richard that the boys were better off dead than alive. Richard would see the obvious advantages. It was clear by this time that Anne Neville was dying, and Richard himself had no heir as their son had died earlier in the year. Upon Anne's death Richard could marry Elizabeth. It would then not matter about the claims of usurpation. If Elizabeth were rightful