LEICESTER, England—Norma Benathan burst into tears the first time she laid eyes on the ruins of Penrith Castle, in northwest England. More than half a millennium before, her personal hero and the former king of England, Richard III, lived at the 14th century royal fortress before heading into battle.

Now, Ms. Benathan, a retired clerk who lives in Lancaster, is heading into battle herself—over where recently unearthed bones that may be Richard's should be buried.

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