EXPERTS MAY HAVE FOUND BONES TO ENGLISH PRINCESS EADGYTH

SHE WAS A BEAUTIFUL ENGLISH PRINCESS WHO MARRIED ONE OF EUROPE'S MOST POWERFUL MONARCHS AND DAZZLED SUBJECTS WITH HER CHARITY AND CHARM. NOW A TEAM OF BRITISH AND GERMAN EXPERTS SAY THEY THINK THEY'VE FOUND THE BODY OF PRINCESS EADGYTH (PRONOUNCED EDITH), A 10th CENTURY NOBLEWOMAN WHO HAS BEEN COMPARED TO PRINCESS DIANA. 'SHE WAS A VERY, VERY POPULAR PERSON', SAID MARK HORTON, AN ARCHAEOLOGY PROFESSOR AT BRISTOL UNIVERSITY IN WESTERN ENGLAND. 'SHE WAS SORT OF THE DIANA OF HER DAY IF YOU LIKE, PRETTY AND FULL OF GOOD WORKS.' HORTON IS ONE OF A TEAM OF EXPERTS WORKING TO VERIFY THE IDENTITY OF SOME BONES FOUND BUNDLED IN SILK IN MAGDEBURG CATHEDRAL IN GERMANY. SHOULD THE SKELETON BE POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED AS BELONGING TO EADGYTH, IT WOULD BE THE OLDEST REMAINS OF ANY ENGLISH ROYAL DISCOVERED SO FAR. EXPERTS SAY HER CLOSEST COMPETITORS, THE VARIOUS SAXON ROYALS IN WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL IN SOUTHERN ENGLAND, ARE SO HOPELESSLY JUMBLED TOGETHER THAT NO SINGLE PERSON CAN BE IDENTIFIED. THE SKELETON WAS UNCOVERED AS PART OF A WIDER RESEARCH PROJECT INTO MAGDEBURG CATHEDRAL, ABOUT 90 MILES WEST OF BERLIN. THE ELABORATE 16th CENTURY MONUMENT IN WHICH HER BODY WAS FOUND WAS LONG THOUGHT TO BE EMPTY. WHEN ARCHAEOLOGISTS OPENED THE MONUMENT IN 2008, THEY FOUND A LEAD COFFIN BEARING HER NAME AND CARRYING A NEARLY COMPLETE SET OF BONES WRAPPED IN SILK. HORTON SAID THE SKELETON BELONGED TO A WOMAN BETWEEN 30 YEARS AND 40 YEARS OF AGE. BUT THERE IS SOME DOUBT IT IS THE LATE ROYAL: HISTORIANS BELIEVE EADGYTH'S BODY WAS MOVED AT LEAST ONCE, AND MAY HAVE REPLACED IN THE TOMB WITH THOSE OF ANOTHER PERSON. TESTS WILL NOW BE PERFORMED TO FIGURE OUT THE AGE OF THE BONES AND WHERE THEY CAME FROM.
EADGYTH GREW UP AT THE DAWN OF THE 10th CENTURY, A PERIOD DURING WHICH HER HALF BROTHER ATHELSTAN EXTENDED HIS RULE OVER ALL OF ENGLAND AND DREW ON HIS SISTERS TO CEMENT HIS INFLUENCE AMONG FOREIGN RULERS. EADGYTH WAS DESTINED FOR DUKE OTTO OF SAXONY, A WARLORD'S SON WHO WOULD EVENTUALLY RISE TO BECOME THE FIRST RULER OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE. TRADITION HOLDS THAT SHE AND HER YOUNGER SISTER ADIVA WERE BOTH PRESENTED TO OTTO, WHO WAS INVITED TO PICK WHICH ONE HE LIKED BEST. EADGYTH'S LOOKS AND CHARM WON OUT OVER HER SISTER'S YOUTH.