The fact that Michael Ibsen was a furniture maker in London — a craftsman working in a trade with deep roots in English and European artisan traditions — lent the story a quality of ordinary life that contrasted with the dynastic and political drama surrounding Richard III. He was not a historian, not a member of the Richard III Society, not someone who had any prior reason to think his family history had any connection to English medieval royalty. He was recruited into the story by genealogical researchers who needed his mitochondrial DNA, and he provided it.
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## The Reburial as Historical Event
The March 2015 reburial at Leicester Cathedral was, among other things, an event of considerable ceremonial complexity that required coordinating religious, civic, royal, and academic institutions that did not always share priorities. The Archbishop of Canterbury’s involvement meant the Church of England had a formal role. The Queen’s representation by Sophie, Countess of Wessex, gave the event royal sanction. Leicester City Council and the cathedral itself had organizational responsibilities. The Looking for Richard project, the Richard III Society, and the University of Leicester all had claims to some form of involvement.
The week of events began on March 22, when the oak coffin built by Michael Ibsen was brought to Bosworth Field — the site of Richard’s death — and a short service was held. The coffin then traveled toward Leicester, with stops at several locations connected to Richard’s history: Fenn Lane, identified as the likely site of the battle; Dadlington, where some of the Bosworth dead were buried; and the village of Sutton Cheney, where Richard is said to have heard Mass the morning before the battle.