The Princes in the Tower

The Princes in the Tower by Alison Weir
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The problem with Alison Weir is that she presents "the likeliest version of the truth" as fact, when what it is is "the likeliest version". As such, I don't think she spent sufficient time debating on the other options.

Personally, based on my other readings, I agree that this is indeed the likeliest version of the truth, but my conclusion is not based on this book. In one of the chapters she mentions that the Duke of Buckingham's innocence would be debated in future chapters, but I don't feel it is debated at all. After Richard, Buckingham is the likeliest suspect, and I don't see anything in this book that convinces me, as Ms Weir says that there is no way that he could have been behind the Princes' disappearance and/or eventual murder (either on his own and for his own interest, or "guided" by others). Alison Weir transitions Buckingham from a man serving his own purpose and helping Richard get rid of Hastings, Rivers and all the other possible opponents, to a man horrified of what Richard had done. The transition is sudden and, frankly, I find it rather unconvincing. She argues that Richard grew up in a violent environment and was therefore immune to such sensitivities, but Buckingham himself grew up in the same country, the same environment, his father had also been killed when he was young and was (reportedly) forcibly married into a family he detested.

As all the other books of Ms Weir's, this is light reading so if you are not familiar with the subject, this could be a good place to start. But bare in mind that, like in many of her other books, Ms Weir skips from "likely based on circumstantial evidence" to "this is what really happened" in a way that a historian should not. Start with this, but go on with other books that are a little better on presenting all sides of the arguments.

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