Head of king taken off display as facial reconstructor reflects likely DNA evidence

© King Richard III Visitor Centre

You can see the king's head at the Richard III Visitor Centre.

A facial reconstruction expert has spent four hours reworking the head of King Richard III, which was removed from display at the new visitor centre dedicated to him in Leicester after DNA testing at the city’s university suggested he would have had blond hair and blue eyes.Professor Caroline Wilkinson, of Liverpool John Moores University, completed the new depiction under the watch of staff at the venue, guided by test results produced by Dr Turi King more than a year ago."It was a delicate task to remove the eyes and replace with lighter ones, as they are made of glass,” said Professor Wilkinson.“The hair colour has also been updated, including eyebrows and eyelashes."Iain Gordon, the Director of the visitor centre, said the experience had been “fascinating” ahead of the reinterment of the king’s body at Leicester Cathedral later this month.“We are really pleased that we've been able to complete the work and put the head back on display in time for the reinterment," he added.