A lesson to be learned if it’s proved Robert the Bruce had leprosy – leader comment

Did Robert the Bruce have leprosy? It is a question that has been asked for centuries without any certain answer.

Chris Pine stars as Robert the Bruce in the Netflix film Outlaw King

Some modern-day experts believe reports of his symptoms could be explained by anything from syphilis to a stroke, while a digital reconstruction of his face in 2016 suggested the historic stories may have been true and that he did have leprosy although it did not “manifest strongly” on his face.

It is extraordinary to think that, despite the passage of 700 years, it may be finally possible to find out for sure.

A geneticist whose DNA analysis helped to conclusively identify the remains of King Richard III – the ‘king in the car park’ – is to examine a small piece of toe bone said to have been taken from his tomb in the Victorian era in the hope of solving the mystery.

If Bruce did have a serious debilitating disease, it was something he had to conceal because of popular beliefs of his time.

Today we are more open, but still need to remember that whatever problems life throws at us, they can be overcome if we, like Bruce and his famous spider, “try, try and try again”.