King Richard III: Fatal blow to skull found

Pathologists at the University of Leicester believe they may have found the killer blow that claimed the life of King Richard III.

Forensic experts have been investigating the trauma inflicted on the former monarch's body at the Battle of Bosworth Field more than 500 years ago, reports the Sky News.

And they say they discovered an injury to the base of his skull which was consistent with a sword or the top spike of a bill.

Prof Sarah Hainsworth said: "Using modern forensic examination, we have discovered that Richard's skeleton sustained 11 wounds at or near the time of his death – nine of them to the skull, which were clearly inflicted in battle.

"The injuries to the head suggest he had either removed or lost his helmet. The other two injuries that we found were to a rib and pelvis."

Whole body CT scans and micro-CT imaging were used to examine Richard III's injured bones and academics even tried to determine which medieval weapons were used.

Professor Guy Rutty, also a forensic pathologist with the Home Office, described the breakthrough as a "eureka moment" which "we will all remember".

"I approached this examination as that of any patient - just because he was a king did not make a difference," he said.

"Everyone is treated the same with the same doctor/patient relationship, the same respect in death and the same level of professional investigation."

The whereabouts of King Richard III's remains were a mystery for centuries, until they were found underneath a council car park by the University of Leicester in 2013.

The last king of the House of York, he reigned from 1483 until his death in 1485.