Remembered in history by some as a murderous tyrant, few people may want to be related to Richard III. But the historian who confirmed the identity of the old king’s remains when they were discovered in a Leicester car park has found a direct link between the former Plantagenet monarch and English actor Benedict Cumberbatch. Professor Kevin Schürer said that the pair are second cousins, 16 times removed. Scroll down for video . Actor Benedict Cumberbatch (shown) is as closely related to Richard III as the Queen, a genealogist has claimed. Professor Kevin Schürer - the historian who confirmed the identity of the old king’s remains when they were discovered in a Leicester car park - said that the pair are second cousins, 16 times removed . The actor will play Richard III in a forth-coming television programme and it's not the first time the actor's ancestry has revealed surprising parallels with his roles, as genealogists claimed he was related to codebreaker Alan Turing, who he played in 'The Imitation Game'. It has been estimated that between one million and 17 million people in the UK are related in some way related to the former Plantagenet monarch, although not as closely as Cumberbatch. Professor Schürer said: ‘Benedict is Richard III’s second cousin, 16 removed. ‘He is linked in several ways, but in terms of number of generations, the shortest is via Richard’s mother, Cecily Neville’s grandmother Joan Beaufort. A family tree showing how the actor and former Plantagenet monarch are related is pictured. Professor Schürer first announced a link between the actor and the late king earlier this year, but at the time said that they were third cousins. He has since revised this . It has been estimated that between one million and 17 million people in the UK are in some way related to Richard III (illustrated left), although not as closely as Mr Cumberbatch (pictured right) Tomorrow, Richard III's coffin, containing his mortal remains, will be lowered into a specially made tomb of Swaledale stone in Leicester Cathedral. The historic moment will be witnessed by the Countess of Wessex, with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, presiding. Benedict Cumberbatch will read a poem called 'Richard' written by Carol Ann Duffy. It is reported the Queen has written a tribute in the order of service acknowledging Richard’s role in British history. Last Sunday, thousands of people watched a procession of the king's coffin through Leicester city centre. ‘He also has more indirect links to both Queen Elizabeth II and Lady Jane Grey through other ancestors in his tree.’ Professor Schürer first announced a link between the actor and the late king earlier this year, but at the time said that they were third cousins. He has since revised this. Oscar-nominated Cumberbatch will take part in Thursday’s service of reinterment of King Richard III at Leicester Cathedral. He will read a specially commissioned poem entitled ‘Richard’, by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy. The 38-year-old Sherlock actor will additionally star as the English king in BBC's The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses, an adaptation of four of Shakespeare's historical plays. Cumberbatch family genealogist, Bob Cumberbatch, said: 'Personally, I think it's fabulous. 'My colleague Andrew Millard estimates that there is a probability greater than 99 per cent that a modern English person is descended from Edward III.' However, he added that finding documentary evidence of this connection is a completely different matter. The 38-year-old Sherlock actor will star as the English king in BBC's The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses, an adaptation of four of Shakespeare's historical plays, a shot is shown . 'Miriam Silverman, of Ancestry UK, discovered a connection between Cumberbatch and Alan Turing and now the Leicester team have extended this to reveal a connection to Richard III. 'If Andrew Millard's conclusions are right then it seems highly probable that Benedict may indeed be related to many characters he has played and will play in future with some exceptions such as Sherlock.' Richard was killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 - ending the Wars of the Roses and the Plantagenet dynasty. His body was taken to Leicester by supporters of the victorious Henry VII and buried in Greyfriars church. In February 2013 a skeleton discovered beneath a Leicester car park was confirmed as that of the English king. Mr Cumberbatch is believed to be as closely related to Richard III (right) as the Queen, Professor Schürer said . On Sunday, 35,000 people lined the route of a procession high in symbolism through the Leicestershire countryside taking Richard back to near the spot where he fell at Bosworth field, where prayers were said for all the dead of that battle. Later, he was carried through the city centre on a horse-drawn gun carriage before being borne inside the cathedral where he was welcomed as 'our brother, Richard' by Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Rev Tim Stevens. The cathedral has said the week of ceremony offers the king the 'dignity and honour' he was denied immediately after his death. Members of the public are able to view the monarch's coffin (pictured) until his reburial tomorrow, at a mass which will be led by Justin Welby . In 2012, the University of Leicester in collaboration with the Richard III Society and Leicester City Council, began searching for the king's body. The excavation uncovered not only the friary of Grey Friars but also a battle-scarred skeleton (shown) with spinal curvature. It was unveiled as King Richard III in February 2013 . A crown sits on top of Richard III's coffin, as he lies in repose at the cathedral until his formal reburial . Tomorrow, Richard III's coffin, containing his mortal remains, will be lowered into a specially made tomb of Swaledale stone in Leicester Cathedral. It is reported that the Queen has written a tribute in the order of service acknowledging Richard’s role in British history. The historic moment will be witnessed by the Countess of Wessex, with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, presiding. The Bishop of Leicester said tomorrow’s service would be 'solemn, but hopeful' and mark the 'extraordinary moment' in English history that Richard’s death on August 22 1485 represented. 'It is a major national and international occasion with a lot of ceremony,' he said. 'The peers from Bosworth families, descendants of those who fought on both sides of the battle, will be here.' 'The coffin will be borne into the sanctuary of the cathedral where it will be committed to the ground, into the vault which has been prepared.' A piece of music has been written for the occasion by the Master of the Queen’s Music Judith Weir, while Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy penned the 14-line poem entitled Richard to be read by Cumberbatch. Tomorrow, Richard III's coffin, containing his mortal remains, will be lowered into a specially made tomb of Swaledale stone in Leicester Cathedral. Thousands of people watched the procession of the former king's coffin (pictured), through the city centre, on Sunday . The spot (circled in red) where archaeologists found the remains of the 15th century monarch . The poem is described as a meditation on the impact of the discovery of Richard’s remains under a council car park in 2012, and the legacy of his story. It includes the line, 'grant me the carving of my name', in reference to carvings on his tomb which read Richard III, together with his symbol, the white boar. Ms Duffy said: 'It is a privilege to be involved, in a small way, in this unique event.' Professor Schurer, who played a key role in identifying Richard's modern day relations, published a paper  showing there was a 99.999 per cent probability that the remains were those of the king. Cumberbatch also shares a common 15th century ancestor, John Beaufort, the Earl of Somerset, with Second World War codebreaker Alan Turing, making them 17th cousins. Mr Turing helped alter the course of the war after he created a machine that allowed the Allies to read secret German messages. The star, who won plaudits for playing a slave owner in 12 Years A Slave last year, is also descended from a long line of slave owners in Barbados. Earlier this year, a New York City commissioner Stacey Cumberbatch, claimed she gained her distinctive surname because her ancestors were owned by the star's fifth great-grandfather on a sugar plantation. Mr Cumberbatch once said his part in another anti-slavery film – Amazing Grace – was a sort of apology' for his ancestry. He also revealed that his mother, the actress Wanda Ventham, once urged him not to use his real surname professionally in case it made him a target for reparation claims by the descendants of slaves. A plastic facial model made from the skull of England's King Richard III . Richard was born on in 1452 at Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire. During the War of the Roses, Richard's father, Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York was killed and in 1470, Richard and his brother Edward were exiled when Henry VI, from the rival house of Lancaster, took back the throne. Henry's reign was short lived and during a battle the following year, Edward became king. In 1483, Edward died and Richard was named as protector of the realm for Edward's son and successor, the 12-year-old Edward V. Edward V and his brother Richard were placed in the Tower of London and after a campaign to condemn the deceased king's marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, the princes were declared illegitimate. Richard III took to the throne the following day. He was crowned in July and in August that year, the two princes disappeared, Rumours claimed the king had killed them to remove any threat they may have posed to his reign. In 1485, Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond launched an attack on Richard III on Bosworth Field in Leicestershire. Many of Richard III's key lieutenants defected and he was killed in battle. Henry Tudor took the throne as Henry VII. It has been confirmed that Richard III had a curvature of the spine, although rumours of a withered arm haven't been verfied form the bones found in the Leicester car park last year. Last year scientists discovered the king was riddled with roundworm after finding large numbers of the parasite's eggs in soil taken from Richard III's pelvic region. The find suggests that the king's intestines were infected with roundworm during his life.
Mr Cumberbatch and Richard III are second cousins, 16 times removed . Actor is as closely related to former king as the Queen, it has been claimed . Kevin Schurer of the University of Leicester traced the line of descent . Professor Schürer first announced the link earlier this year . But at the time he said they were third cousins and this has been revised . Benedict Cumberbatch will read a poem at Richard III's burial tomorrow . Sherlock star will play the infamous king in BBC series The Hollow Crown .