Philippa Jayne Langley
29 June 1962
Discoverer of King Richard III’s remains
Philippa Jayne Langley is a screenwriter with a passion to tell stories that challenge our perception of established truths and she is the secretary of the Scottish Branch of the Richard III Society.
Langley is best known for her contribution to the 2012 exhumation of Richard III of England. She attributes the discovery to a feeling she had when first visiting the car park where the king was later found, having gone to Leicester for the purpose of finding out more about his possible resting-place. According to Langley, "the first time I stood in that car park, the strangest feeling just washed over me. I thought: 'I am standing on Richard's grave.'" She proceeded to raise money for, and organise the excavation of the site, leading to the eventual discovery of Richard III's remains. Her project marked the first-ever search for the grave of an anointed King of England, and was made into an acclaimed TV documentary by Darlow Smithson Productions for Channel 4.
From the start Philippa was nominated by the Duke of Gloucester, patron of the Richard III Society, as his point of contact for the search and reburial project, which will culminate in a fitting re-interment ceremony and memorial for King Richard in an honoured place in Leicester Cathedral.
Langley is currently working on the screenplay for a proposed film on the life of Richard III, in which she hopes Richard will be portrayed by English actor Richard Armitage, who himself was named after the king. She is co-author, with Michael K. Jones, of The King's Grave: The Discovery of Richard III’s Lost Burial Place and the Clues It Holds.
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