Suddenly I became aware that the Chairman was waiting for me to speak in defence of the services that I had rendered King Richard III.

I am sorry my Lord I was just trying to think of an excuse for not being here. However my talent for producing a believable excuse for " chickening out " seems to have deserted me. No matter let us get back to the business at hand. You want to know what services I have rendered King Richard III. A difficult question, the only answer that I can come up with is that I carried the mace at his coronation. Will that do? No I thought not.

My relationship with young Richard was always strained, due to the skirmish he had with my men, on the Hereford to Shrewsbury road in March 1470. Richard was coming from Wales on his way to join Edward, a few days after the battle of Empingham (or Lose-Coat Field). My men, not realising who he was, blocked the road fearing him to be an enemy of the King. He scattered my men and sent word to Edward that I was hostile to him. So I immediately sent a messenger to Edward to protest that the Duke of Gloucester had attacked my men. That young whippersnapper was just adding insult to injury. Why only the autumn before Edward had granted him the honours of Halton and Clitheroe, in my sphere of influence - I ask you!!

Later in 1470 I joined Warwick when he took over the country on behalf of Henry VI of Lancaster. What was I supposed to do? Warwick was my brother-in-law: I would have been ruined if I had not supported him.

When Edward returned in 1471 he made Richard Chief Steward of the Duchy of Lancaster instead of me. I suppose that was only to be expected and I didn't hold that against him, when I fought under his command, during the invasion of Scotland in 1482 and I'll even admit that he did a jolly good job.

I supported him when he became King, and in fact I did do him a service at that time. As you know, I married Margaret Beaufort in 1472. A nice little filly with a large inheritance. She was always obsessed with the fact that since the battle of Tewkesbury, her son was the rightful heir to the throne and she was always plotting something or other. She knew that while Edward was alive she had no chance of gaining the throne, but when Edward died suddenly she saw her chance. I sometimes wonder if she plotted with the Woodvilles to murder him. Then, as she saw it, the only people standing in her way were Richard, Hastings, Buckingham and of course the two princes.

So it was her idea to gather them all in to a plot. John Morton was in on it with her. He hooked Buckingham with a promise of the crown for himself, provided of course that he got rid of the Princes. I didn't ask him what he actually did with them – I did not want to know. My wife had involved Elizabeth Woodville and Hastings by using the Shore harlot as a go between. Sometimes the conspirators met at my house so I was involved big time. How could I extricate myself from this treason? If Richard found out we would all be done for. I believed that my wife had no hope of gaining the throne for her precious son. So I decided to shop them all. I went to Richard and begged him to believe that I had nothing to do with the plot. My only involvement was the fact that my wife had used my house for meetings. Fortunately he believed me, but in order not to arouse suspicions he had me arrested as well. I was even wounded in the head with a halbert during the scuffle in the council chamber when Hastings was arrested.

After a short imprisonment I was released and back in favour, and according to the Dictionary of National Biography "with my accustomed pliancy" I carried the mace at Richards's coronation. While the sainted Margaret, now firmly under my control, did as she was told and carried Queen Anne's train.

Thinking about it, I suppose you could say that Richard did me more favours than I did him. I remained Steward of the Household and succeeded Hastings as Knight of the Garter. When Buckingham's rebellion failed he made me Constable instead of Buckingham. It is said that no one, except the Dukes of Norfolk and Northumberland, profited more than I did, by Richard's bounty.

Contrary to popular opinion I took no part in the action at Bosworth Field. It was my brother William's intervention that gave my tyrannical stepson his victory that day. I only did what I normally did on those occasions, I kept my options open and I have been vilified ever since.

Professor Charles Ross had the effrontery to say of me and I quote: "He was the quintessential trimmer, shifty, self-seeking and unreliable." That is a gross lie - I was always loyal to whoever was in power at the time. I would support whoever could give my family the most advantages. The King was the obvious giver of advantages and I was always a loyal supporter of the King, no matter who he was. Completely impartial that's me! York or Lancaster, I treated them all the same. If they were in power I was on their side.

My Lord I rest my case.