The last English monarch to die in battle was King Richard III. Until recently, only speculation linked the dead king’s identity to a set of 500-year-old bones found under a parking garage in the English city of Leicester back in 2012. However, an international research team led by British scientist Turi King of the University of Leicester’s Department of Genetics thinks they have cracked the case.

The researchers report this week in the journal Nature Communications that their comparison of DNA from the bones and DNA collected from two modern female blood-relatives of King Richard III confirm that the bones are indeed those of the deceased monarch. Moreover, sequence analysis of the bone DNA indicate that Richard III had blue eyes and was blonde during his childhood.

The researchers looked at several genetic markers, including mitochondrial genomes, inherited through the maternal bloodline, and Y-chromosomal markers, inherited through the paternal line, all insamples collected from living relatives of Richard III. While the Y-chromosomal markers differed, the mitochondrial genomes of the living female relatives matched that of the skeletal remains. Mitochondria are DNA-containing organelles inherited exclusively from mothers since sperm from males do not contribute mitochondria when they fertilize ova from the females.

The research confirms that Wendy Duldig is a niece of Richard III, 18 times removed, while Michael Ibsen is confirmed to be the nephew of the king, 16 times removed. The team of scientists is 99.99% certain the bones belong to Richard III.

King Richard III is thought to have died from a blow to his head during the Battle of Bosworth over 500 years ago.