Preview
  • The Princes in the Tower

  • Solving History's Greatest Cold Case
  • By: Philippa Langley
  • Narrated by: Philippa Langley
  • Length: 16 hrs and 43 mins
  • 3.8 out of 5 stars (70 ratings)

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The Princes in the Tower

By: Philippa Langley
Narrated by: Philippa Langley
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Publisher's summary

Philippa Langley took the world by storm when, against all the odds and a seven-year investigation, she discovered the grave of King Richard III (1452-1485) in a Leicester car park. A king finally laid to rest, the rediscovery and reburial of Richard III was watched by an estimated global audience of over 366 million. Now, Langley reveals the findings of a remarkable new research initiative: ‘The Missing Princes Project'. In the summer of 1483, Edward V (aged 12) and his brother Richard Duke of York (aged 9), disappeared from the Tower of London. For over 500 years, history has judged that they were murdered on the orders of their uncle Richard III. Following years of intensive research in UK, American and European archives, astonishing new archival discoveries have been uncovered that change what we know about the fate of the Princes in the Tower. Established by Langley in 2016, ‘The Missing Princes Project' employed the methods of a cold-case police enquiry. Using investigative methodology, it aimed to place this most enduring of mysteries under a forensic microscope for the first time. In The Princes in the Tower: Solving History's Greatest Cold Case, Langley records the painstaking investigative work and research of the project. By questioning received wisdom, she and her team shed light upon one of history's greatest miscarriages of justice, revealing a phenomenal untold story.

©2023 Philippa Langley (P)2023 W. F. Howes Ltd
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What listeners say about The Princes in the Tower

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not as open minded as she pretends

This is a sequel to the very successful finding and excavation of the skeleton of Richard III, in which the author was deeply involved. This book examines the best-known crime in which Richard III may have been involved: the imprisonment and disappearance of the young boys, sons of Edward IV, who probably had better credentials than Richard III to the throne. The stylistic theme of the current book is to describe a supposedly scientific/historical examination of the possible truths of what may have happened to the princes. But just pretending to be a scholar doesn't necessarily reveal the facts. The problem with the supposedly scholarly assessment is that the outcome drives the analysis. It is clear from the first that the author will never seriously consider the possibility that the princes died in the Tower, but will consider as plausible a whole raft of weakly supported alternatives, most of which have been debunked in previous centuries. That plus her droning reading style make for a boring book where lively discussion could still have been entertaining.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting historical dectectvibe inquiry

How does the illegitimate Cecily Neville, daughter of Joan Beaufort, give legitimacy to her children? Didn’t know an illegitimate granddaughter of John of Guant can pass this on- very interesting.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Please hire a real narrator!

I’ve been fascinated by the Princes in the Tower mystery since I was a kid and was so excited about this book. The new information brought to light in it is amazing. But I can’t finish listening. I don’t know why anyone ever thinks it’s a good idea to have authors who aren’t trained as narrators read their own books. Langley might be a wonderful researcher, but she’s a terrible narrator. Non-fiction narration requires a lot of skill and training to bring the text to life. This reading is completely flat, with weird pauses that sound like periods after every few words (often in the middle of names), and unfortunately mangled pronunciation of foreign names and words. Additionally, there are editing errors, with small sections being duplicated. I slogged through nearly 10 hours before finally deciding that I couldn’t take any more. Maybe I’ll buy the print book at some point.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating alternative to the unproven tale of record.

I loved the level of research and details provided as proof. Fascinating work and compelling concept. thank you

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Approaching this as a missing persons case

Loved the historical research and evidence. Hated the droning voice of the author. Should have brought in additional readers to break it up.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent and thorough research and investigation.

Great research and determination by the author to find out the truth and question the historical narrative.
The author is not an audio book narrator and should have left that to the professionals. Her delivery is monotone and hard to follow, aside from that it’s a great read!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Treasure in the Archives

I really don't know much about this period in history except the bare bones of what was said to have happened. Because I was fascinated with Ms. Langley's finding of Richard III, I figured I would be in good hands for a deep dig into this topic of the Princes from a fresh point of view. Not disappointed! This is an excellent illustration of why getting hands dusty in archives and thinking outside the box can lead to surprising and stunning documents and ideas.

The only place I gave 4/5 stars was performance, as it is narrated by the author. But I have to hand it to her, she knows how to pronounce all the players' names properly. There are only a small handful of repeated lines, which is more of an editing issue. While there is not a lot of inflection in the narrator's voice, it held up to the 1.3X speed at which I listened, and her voice is not unpleasant or too high for long sessions. The topic is detailed and intricate, but I didn't feel like I lost my place due to the narrator. None of this would stop me from listening again, as I really would like to have a second go-round to have a clearer understanding of the level of deceit and machinations which shaped the tale to this point.

Can't wait to see what Philippa Langley turns her attention to next as she moves forward with the worldwide team of volunteers who have lent their talents to this fascinating topic!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wars of the Roses

The wars of the roses is the reason I fell in love with history. Dysfunction at the highest levels of society. Ion care what anyone says, Beaufort did it. Lol. I’ll let you know if my opinion changes by the end of this book.

Halfway Through - Ok, im listening.

Finished - I cant believe they lived. I just find it weird that after all these years, Richard kept a journal of his exile from England. Seems too good to be true. Skeptical hippo eyes lol


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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Finally a great mystery had been solved!

The information presented in this work is fascinating and sheds new light on The Princes in the Tower. The narration was pretty dry, however, perhaps it would have been better if someone other than the author had leant their voice. Regardless, it was well worth listening through.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Needs new narrator!

I realize the author is reading the book but her voice is distracting. I’m not sure I will be able to finish. I have much respect for Phillips but they should have hired someone else to read.

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1 person found this helpful