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LONDON — The discovery of King Richard III under a parking lot in the English city of Leicester thrilled history buffs around the world. But the news meant a winter of discontent for the rival city of York, and now the two are doing battle over the royal bones.

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Officials in Leicester say the monarch, who was unceremoniously buried without a coffin 528 years ago, will be re-interred with kingly dignity in the city’s cathedral.

“The decision has already been made,” said Leicester mayor Peter Soulsby. “All the permissions have been granted and the various authorities involved have agreed that the interment will take place in Leicester.”

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Not so fast, says York, a city 160 kilometres to the north that claims the late monarch as its own.

“Every taxi driver I talk to, every shopkeeper I talk to, they are very excited about it — they want Richard back in York,” said Michael Ormrod, professor of medieval history at the University of York. “There is a view that he is a king for York.”

York City Council said Wednesday it is petitioning the government and Queen Elizabeth II, arguing that “one of the city’s most famous and cherished sons” — who grew up in the region and was once known as Richard of York — should be buried in the northern city.