KING Richard III has made a triumphant return to Sudeley Castle in Winchcombe as part of a nationwide tour.

Unveiled on Friday, the official 3D facial reconstruction of the controversial king’s head is now on show at the castle until Tuesday, April 15 as part of the ‘King in the Car Park’ tour.

Screenwriter Philippa Langley, who was the driving force behind the excavation of the Leicester car park where his remains were discovered, unveiled the head.

"There is a real fascination for people to find the real King Richard III, so they can make up their own minds as to whether he really was the bad villain portrayed by some, or the good lord as described by others," she said.

Richard III owned Sudeley Castle twice in his lifetime, first as Duke of Gloucester from 1469 and then coming into his ownership again on his ascension to the throne in 1483.

Lady Ashcombe, who owns and lives in Sudeley Castle & Gardens, said: “We’re thrilled to be hosting the reconstructed head of Richard III.

“The discovery of his remains last year sparked much interest in his intriguing story and as a king who played a special part in Sudeley Castle’s history, we look forward to sharing this with our guests as part of a special exhibition.”

The head, commissioned by the Richard III Society from the University of Dundee, was created using CT scans and photographs of the skull, combined with a specialist computer program to produce a digital image on which the physical head was based.

Sudeley Castle is the last stop on the tour before the head returns to its final resting place in Leicester’s new King Richard III visitor centre, but a permanent Richard III exhibition will remain at the castle throughout the year.