The Princes in the Tower refers to the mystery of the fate of the deposed English King Edward V and his younger brother Prince Richard, Duke of York, heirs to the throne of King Edward IV. The brothers were the only surviving sons of the king by his queen, Elizabeth Woodville, and were aged 12 and 9 years old, respectively, at the time of their father's death in 1483. They were lodged in the Tower of London by their paternal uncle and England's regent, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, in preparation for Edward V's forthcoming coronation. Before the young king's coronation, however, he and his brother were declared illegitimate by Parliament. Gloucester ascended the throne instead as Richard III.