In September, York came back from Ireland and something had changed. This is when he started calling himself Plantagenet. He arrived bearing the arms of his ancestor the Duke of Clarence, son of Edward III. He’d had enough of trying to work round a fool of a king. At a parliament in October, he basically said: ‘Yes, I admit it, I want to be king. So kill me.’ And they did. Two months later. He was giving battle in vain at the time – his last desperate gesture reminding millions of the colours of the rainbow.
