York and Leicester , England ( CNN ) -- A year ago , historians held their breath as archaeologist Jo Appleby painstakingly dusted centuries of dirt and debris from the curved spine and staved-in skull of a skeleton uncovered under a parking lot in the English city of Leicester . The story of the long-lost king buried beneath a car park made headlines around the world -- but 12 months on , excitement has given way to anger , as enthusiasts and experts argue over what should happen to Richard III 's remains . The once-missing monarch -- best known as the Shakespearean villain accused of murdering his nephews , the Princes in the Tower , to take the throne -- faces one final battle before he can be left to rest in peace : the increasingly bitter fight over where his bones ( minus his feet , lost at some point during the past 500 years ) will be interred . The judge in the case , Mr. Justice Haddon-Cave has even gone so far as to plead with all concerned `` to avoid embarking on the ( legal ) Wars of the Roses , part two , '' warning that such legal wrangling would be `` unseemly , undignified and unedifying , '' and urging them to call in an independent panel of experts to rule on the burial . The original War of the Roses was a bloody civil war which divided England for decades , and eventually saw Richard 's family , the Plantagenets , swept from power . While the experts who carried out the search for Richard III 's remains are keen to see him reinterred in Leicester , others believe it was the medieval king 's wish to be buried in York -- the city they claim was closest to his heart . English rules and regulations governing exhumations should mean that the decision is a straightforward one -- such bodies are usually reburied in the nearest consecrated ground to the archaeological dig site -- but in fact it is proving anything but , with the launch of legal action to try and halt the plans . Read more : Richard III had worms , scientists say . Those behind the project had always planned for any bodies they uncovered in their search for Leicester 's long-lost Greyfriars Friary to be reburied at the city 's cathedral , just a stone 's throw away from the now-famous car park . Back then Richard Buckley , lead archaeologist on what he admits to initially thinking of as a `` harebrained scheme , '' told CNN how he had applied for a license to exhume any human remains with the words `` In the unlikely event that we find the remains of Richard III ... '' But it is this very license that now finds itself at the center of a court battle between the authorities in Leicester and a group calling itself the Plantagenet Alliance , who say more thought should have gone into the reburial . The Alliance -- made up of people who claim to be distantly related to Richard III , and headed by Stephen Nicolay , his 17th great nephew -- objects to the lack of consultation over where the newly-rediscovered king 's bones should be laid to rest . They say that given the remains ' royal status , it should not be a simple case of `` finders keepers . '' Instead , they believe that the location of the new grave should be up for discussion . `` What we 're saying is that for a significant historical figure such as Richard III , his remains should be the subject of a broad consultation , '' explains Matthew Howarth , the lawyer representing the Alliance . `` All the interested parties should be able to have their say , state their case as to where the bones should be buried ... It should n't be a closed decision . '' Read more : New coffin mystery at Richard III site . The Alliance eventually wants to see the bones taken to York , a northern city packed to the gills with historic sites and , the group says , with links to Richard III . It is a plea backed up by others in the city . `` Richard was the last northern king , '' explains Paul Toy , of York 's Richard III Museum . `` He had lots of estates and he was constantly moving around , but certainly he would identify himself as northern , and York was a city that was very close to his heart ... He was very much part of the civic fabric . '' By contrast , say the `` Yorkists , '' the ill-fated monarch had little or no connection to Leicester -- other than the fact he was slung into a hastily-dug grave there following his death at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 . Not true , say those in the Leicester camp . `` There 's considerable historical evidence that Richard spent quite a lot of time at his castle here in Leicester , '' says the city 's mayor , Peter Soulsby . `` It was from Leicester that he chose to ride out to what would prove to be his last battle , and it was to Leicester that he was returned , and where he was buried on the orders of the new king , Henry . `` And frankly , to be buried by royal command in a city is pretty powerful evidence that this is where he ought to remain . '' Read more : Is this the face that launched 1,000 myths ? Soulsby insists that the events of more recent times offer all the more reason for the monarch to be laid to rest in Leicester . `` Leicester 's people have honored Richard for many generations : We have a King Richard 's Road , a King Richard 's School , we even have pubs called after King Richard . `` It 's not just the history that compels us -- it is also the fact that it was the amazing skill of Leicester University 's archaeologists that actually rediscovered the remains , and their incredible forensic work that confirmed they were the remains of King Richard . `` Leicester is where he 's been for 500 years , and Leicester is where he deserves to be reburied , with proper ceremony , and in a tomb fit for a king . '' Indeed , the city is speeding full-steam ahead with plans for a new tomb in the cathedral , where a memorial stone has long paid tribute to the last Plantagenet king , and for a visitor center on the site of the Greyfriars car park , telling the story of Richard 's life , his death , and his rediscovery . The council has already bought an old school which is being turned into a museum , and it is clear that there is a commercial aspect to the battle for the bones , since whichever city they end up in is likely to see a tourism boost . Read more : Body found in car park is Richard III . Granting a judicial review of the case , Haddon-Cave noted that `` the benefit in terms of prestige and increased tourism ... is obvious . It is said that the foot-fall at Leicester Cathedral has increased 20-fold since the discovery . '' Sitting in a quiet corner of the Cathedral Close with his wife Julia , waiting for a tour to begin , Leicestershire local -- but Yorkshire native -- Peter Farnworth believes that 's another reason why the bones should stay close to where they were found . `` York has oodles and oodles of tourist attractions , '' he explained . `` Leicester does n't have many , and if it loses Richard , it will have one less . '' The Plantagenet Alliance , though , insist that money has nothing to do with their case . `` My clients have no commercial interest in it , '' says Howarth . `` They wo n't gain out of any tourism , but they have a very strong view that Richard 's links to the north of England , and to York in particular , mean that he should be buried here . '' For Toy , it comes down to the question of what the king himself would have wanted . `` As far as we can tell , as far as we have any idea of where he wanted to be buried himself , it seems to be in York , '' he told CNN . `` There 's a sense that Richard III is a king who has had a bad press -- an unfair bad press -- and that responding as far as we can to his known wishes would slightly even things up a bit . '' Read more : The mystery of the king and the car park . Erin McLaughlin contributed to this report .
Remains of Richard III , last English king to die in battle , excavated exactly a year ago . Rediscovery of long-lost skeleton was greeted with elation by history enthusiasts . Battle now raging over where bones will be reburied ; Leicester or York are likely sites . Comment: