( CNN ) Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch will read a specially-written poem at the `` funeral '' of Richard III , the King found buried beneath a parking lot -- his own distant relative . Oscar-nominated Cumberbatch , who is to star as Richard III in an upcoming TV adaptation , will read a verse penned for the service by Britain 's poet laureate , Carol Ann Duffy . The 14-line verse , titled simply `` Richard , '' will remain a closely-guarded secret until the service of reinterment at Leicester Cathedral on Thursday . All the organizers will say is that it is a `` meditation on the impact of [ Richard 's ] finding and on the legacy of his story . '' They also have revealed that it contains the phrase `` grant me the carving of my name , '' recognizing that Richard III 's grave was lost for centuries , with no tombstone to mark its location . In a statement , Duffy said it was `` a privilege to be involved , in a small way '' in the farewell to Richard , the last English King to die in battle , 530 years ago . Cumberbatch 's reading will form part of a service of reinterment for the medieval monarch , which will be led by the Archbishop of Canterbury , Justin Welby . Key figures in the rediscovery and identification of the royal remains , including historians , archaeologists , scientists and relatives are expected to attend , along with members of the public who won a ballot for tickets . Queen Elizabeth II has written a message to be included in the order of service for the event , at which she will be represented by the Countess of Wessex . On Sunday , tens of thousands of people lined the streets of Leicester and its surrounding villages as Richard III 's coffin was carried out to the site of the Battle of Bosworth , where he was killed in 1485 , and back in a procession . Since then , people have queued around the block to see it lying `` in repose '' in the cathedral where it will be reinterred in a tomb made of pale Swaledale fossil limestone from Yorkshire , set on a plinth of black Kilkenny marble . Richard III 's remains were found in August 2012 by archaeologists searching for the remains of the Greyfriars Monastery , which had been covered over by a council car park . The skeleton has been studied at the University of Leicester ever since , allowing scientists to discover a host of details about Richard III 's life -- and death -- by analyzing the bones . The university 's genealogy expert , Kevin Shurer , has discovered that Cumberbatch is related to Richard III . `` Benedict is Richard III 's second cousin , 16 removed , '' Shurer explained . `` He is linked in several ways , but ... the shortest is via Richard 's mother , Cecily Neville 's grandmother , Joan Beaufort . He also has more indirect links to both Queen Elizabeth II and Lady Jane Grey through other ancestors in his [ family ] tree . `` It is great that Benedict has the opportunity to take part in the ceremony ... having him there will add another dimension to what has already been a momentous week . '' Shurer also helped confirm the link between the last Plantagenet King and living relatives Michael Ibsen and Wendy Duldig , whose DNA proved the identity of Richard III 's remains . Ibsen , a Canadian-born cabinetmaker who now lives in London , built the English oak and yew coffin in which Richard III will be buried . Five things we 've learned about Richard III from his remains . Richard III -- the mystery of the King and the car parking lot .
Richard III 's remains will be reinterred Thursday in Benedict Cumberbatch . Oscar-nominated Leicester Cathedral -- a distant relative -- will read poem at service . Long-lost skeleton was discovered beneath a parking lot in August 2012 .