London, February 4 : Scientists believe a battle-scarred skull discovered beneath a parking lot in England could be that of King Richard III, who was killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.

The image of the skeleton found with an arrowhead embedded in his curving spine has been released for the first time.

It was excavated from a council car park in Leicester, on the site of a friary where it is believed the king was buried, the Telegraph reported.

Various scientific tests have since been carried out on the medieval remains and archaeologists and historians are confident that it is the body of the reviled 15th century monarch.

Teams of experts who have separately carried out radio carbon dating, DNA tests and CT scans preparing to announce their findings and make a judgment about the identity.

They have revealed that the skull appears to have suffered a severe blow, in keeping with his violent death.

As Henry VII dragged the corpse into Leicester its head is said to have struck a stone and broke open.

There is also evidence of an arrow stabbing and scoliosis or curvature of the spine, an affliction widely attributed to him.

Philippa Langley, a member of the Richard III society which funded the excavation on the site of a friary last August has said she is "99 per cent certain" that it is the king.

The remains were dug up last September and Leicester University said there was "strong evidence" that it was Richard III.

Professor Lin Foxhall, head of the university's Archaeology Department, which led the excavation, said if it proved to be Richard III's skull, they would know an awful lot about his death and burial. (ANI)