Hundreds of people came face to face with Richard III in Leicester today.
Visitors queued for the chance to view a reconstruction of the king's head which was put on display for the first time at the Guildhall.
It was created by forensic artists for the Richard III society based on a scan of the king's skull, which was found in a Leicester car park last year.
The face, which is housed in a glass case on a pedestal, is part of the Guildhall's free exhibition and will go on a national tour after three weeks on show in Leicester.
Duncan Bosher was delighted to get the chance to get up close and personal with Richard III after flying in from America.
Duncan, 58, from San Francisco, said: "This is just amazing for me.
"I grew up in Braunstone and love Leicester so for me to come back here with my partner and her son is fabulous.
"There is so much history in this city and it is great for me to be able to share it with my loved ones.
"What they have done with the face is wonderful but I think it is an incredibly flattering reproduction, perhaps too flattering."
His partner Kristen Bole, 50, said she was excited about seeing the whole exhibition.
She said: "The discovery of Richard III was big news in America. It was on all the front pages so to get a chance to be here and see the face and the bones is great."
Her son Benjamin Bole, 10, said: "I think it is amazing that they can recreate a whole face from the skull and really bring it to life like this."
Staff at the Guildhall said that more 250 people had seen the face in the two hours after the doors opened at 10am.
Oriane Genol, Guildhall customer services advisor, said: "The response from the public has been very good indeed.
"There has been a real buzz of excitement in the air and in the chatter of the people waiting to come in and see the face of the king."
Masters student Ellie Darton-Moore, of Clarendon Park, Leicester, had brought her father to see the face.
The 23-year-old, who is reading museum studies at the University of Leicester, said: "I am surprised at just how effeminate the face is.
"The whole exhibition is brilliant."
Her father Richard Moore, 59, who had travelled up from Sussex, said: "It is fascinating to be able to get a real good look at the face of Richard III.
"It is also odd to come face to face with a monarch who was a lost king. The whole exhibition is exceptionally good."
Zoe Jarman, of Groby, was at the exhibition with her two sons Jay, eight, and Roan, five, and her sister Holly.
Zoe, 42, said: "This whole Richard III thing is great for Leicester. This exhibition shows just how fascinating it all is."
Holy, also of Groby, said: "I think it is quite a modern looking face and I am surprised by that."
Jay said: "I don't think he had a nice face at all."
Roan said: "He looks like a bad man."
The exhibition is open from 10 am to 5pm seven days a week until June 9.
The facial reconstruction will move to Bosworth Battlefield between June 11 and July 16 before going on a national tour.
Its final home is set to be the permanent Richard III visitor centre in Leicester, which is due to open next year.
