A CEREMONY will be held in York to mark the re-interment of King Richard III next month.

The remains of the last Yorkist king were found under a car park in Leicester last year, and the decision was eventually made to have him reburied in Leicester Cathedral on March 26.

Events will be held by York Minster, York Museums Trust, the University of York and City of York Council to coincide with the reburial, to give York residents the opportunity to celebrate his links to the city.

A Choral Evensong will be held to commemorate Richard III at the Minster, starting at 5.15pm, followed by a procession from the South Door at 6.20pm.

The procession will be led by the civic party and senior clergy across the piazza, along Stonegate to St Helen's Square and the Mansion House steps, where Lord Mayor of York Councillor Ian Gillies will address the procession and those expected to line the route and pay their respects.

Cllr Gillies said: "These commemorations build on work by academics, civic and faith leaders in the city and beyond, to further inform interest in the last Plantagenet monarch. This work and the events planned for March are bringing two great English cities closer together through their shared interest in and affection for Richard III."

The Very Reverend Dean Vivienne Faull of York Minster said: "On the evening of the re-interment of King Richard III it is right that the people of York and Yorkshire will have the opportunity to gather in the Minster to pray and to remember the death of the King at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. The service of Choral Evensong will include a prayer composed for the service by the Dean of Leicester.

"I am glad the cathedrals of both York and Leicester will take the opportunity of the re-interment to give thanks for the peace of our realm and to pray for reconciliation for those who are caught up in conflict in our own day."

Dr Janet Barnes, CBE, chief executive at York Museums Trust, said: "It is only right that York should mark the reburial of Richard III because of his strong connections to our city and the regard in which he is held by many people across the county."