A television screen displays the skeletal remains of what is believed to be King Richard III during a press conference at Leicester University on February 4, 2013 in Leicester, England. The University of Leicester has been carrying out scientific investigations on remains found in a car park to find out whether they are those of King Richard III since last September, when the skeleton was discovered in the foundations of Greyfriars Church, Leicester. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
LEICESTER, England (AP) - Scientists say they have found the 500-year-old remains of England's King Richard III under a parking lot in the city of Leicester.
University of Leicester researchers say it is "beyond reasonable doubt" that a battle-scarred skeleton unearthed last year is the king, who died at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.
Osteologist Jo Appleby said Monday that a study of the bones provides "a highly convincing case for identification of Richard III."
And DNA from the skeleton matches a sample taken from a distant living relative.
The last English monarch to die in battle, Richard was depicted in a play by William Shakespeare as a hunchbacked usurper who left a trail of bodies - including those of his two princely nephews, murdered in the Tower of London - on his way to the throne.
Many historians say that villainous image is unfair.
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AP