King Richard III drank at least one bottle of wine a day

A study reveals that Richard III guzzled a bottle of wine a day during his last years – but he’s far from the only ruler to have enjoyed a tipple.

The pressures of ruling a country must be difficult – so it’s perhaps no surprise that King Richard III turned to alcohol to drown his sorrows.

A study of the teeth and bones of Richard III towards the end of his life suggests that he drank around a bottle of wine a day.

The research, by the British Geological Survey and University of Leicester, revealed that the monarch described by Shakespeare as a “poisonous bunchback’d toad” enjoyed an extremely rich diet after ascending to the throne in 1483.

Analysis of samples taken from a femur, rib and tooth after his remains were found under a Leicester car park in 2012 showed that the monarch enjoyed a decadent menu including swans, heron, egret and freshwater fish such as pike, all washed down with up to three litres of alcohol a day.


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