by Mark Sheppard
The burial of Richard III will be broadcast live, putting Leicester back on the map as a city of character and personality.
Following his remains being discovered beneath a Leicester car park in 2012 and a legal battle to allow him to be buried in the city, the former King of England will finally be reinterred in Leicester Cathedral on March 26.
Channel 4 has won the rights to conduct a live broadcast of this occasion, enhancing the city’s cultural image in front of a large audience.
Matthew Titchiner, 23, an employee at the Richard III Visitor Centre, has said: “It puts Leicester on the map, brings a focus to the city and turns it into an all round visitor attraction.”
The first programme to air will be on March 22, as the Monarch’s remains are transferred from Leicester University through a number of towns and villages in a hearse going to the Cathedral.
Mr Titchiner said: “His body will be in the Cathedral for the three days before the burial for people to pay their respects.”
The public will be able to view the coffin between 9.00–12.30 and 14.00–17.00 on Monday, March 23 and Tuesday 24 and from 9.00–12.30 on the 25.
A total of 600 people will attend this televised spectacle, including members of the royal family and the Archbishop of Canterbury, which will help to develop Leicester’s character as a city of culture and heritage.
The reinterment service will take place on the morning of March 26, before the closure of the Cathedral for the construction of Richard III’s tomb.
There will be a service on March 27 to commemorate the Monarch’s journey, revealing the sealed tomb to members of the public.
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