Who Was … Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales?

Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, was the Lancastrian heir to the throne. He was the only child of the Lancastrian king, Henry VI, and his wife Margaret of Anjou. His father was overthrown in 1461 and Edward went into exile in Scotland and then France with his mother. He was the last heir apparent to die in battle, when he was killed at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471, allegedly by the future Richard III.

Name: Edward of Westminster / Edward of Lancaster

Title/s: Prince of Wales

Birth: 13 October 1453 at Westminster Palace, London, England

Death: 4 May 1471 at Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England

Buried: Tewkesbury Abbey, Gloucestershire, England

Spouse: Anne Neville 1456-1485

Children: None

Parents: Henry VI 1421-1471 & Margaret of Anjou 1430-1482

Siblings: None

Noble Connections: Edward was the Prince of Wales, son of Henry VI of England. Through his mother, Margaret of Anjou, he was also related to the Kings of France. Through his wife, Anne Neville, he was also related to the Earls of Warwick, and distantly to Edward IV.

Controversy: It has never been known whether the marriage between Edward of Westminster and Anne Neville was actually consummated. It has been suggested that Margaret of Anjou didn’t want the marriage consummated in case a better consort was proposed for her son.

Works of Fiction:

• Philippa Gregory, The Kingmaker’s Daughter (2012)
• Conn Iggulden, Stormbird (2013)
• Anne O’Brien, The Virgin Widow (2010)
• Sharon Key Penman, The Sunne in Splendour (1982)
• Jean Plaidy, The Red Rose of Anjou (1982)

Portrayals on Screen:

• Joey Batey, The White Queen, 2013, 2 episodes
• Christopher Bowen, Richard III, 1995, directed by Richard Loncraine
• John Greenwood, An Age of Kings, 1960, 4 episodes

Further Reading:

• Thomas B. Costain, The Last Plantagenets (1962)
• Michael Hicks, Anne Neville: Queen to Richard III (2006)
• Susan Higginbotham, The Prince Who Did Not Become King: Edward of Lancaster 1453-1471 (2011)
• Dan Jones, The Plantagenets (2013)
• Helen E. Maurer, Margaret of Anjou: Queenship and Power in Late Medieval England (2004)
• Alison Weir, Lancaster and York: The Wars of the Roses (2009)
• Derek Wilson, The Plantagenets: The Kings That Made England (2014)

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  Edward of Westminster by Sylvester Harding 1793

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  Arms of the Princes of Wales