The former burial place of Richard III, a medieval monastic site which now lies under a car park in Leicester, has been given protected status.

The remains of the 13th century Greyfriars, where the last Plantagenet king, inset, was hastily laid to rest after his death in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, has been listed as a scheduled monument. It is thought the archaeological site - “one of the most significant in our national history” because of its connection to the dramatic events around the final battle of the War of the Roses - is well preserved under the city centre car park.

Richard was reburied in 2015 at Leicester Cathedral after supporters in Yorkshire lost their battle for him to be re-interred at York Minster.

Making the friary into a scheduled monument means it is preserved for future generations, with special consent required before any work or changes can be made.

Richard’s skeleton was found during an archaeological excavation at Leicester City Council’s car park in 2012 and was confirmed as his remains following DNA analysis of the bones which matched that of living descendants. The Greyfriars site dates back to the 1220s when Franciscan friars first arrived in Leicester, and it was at their church where Richard was buried with little ceremony in 1485 after the battle which saw Henry Tudor become king of England.