Mystery of King Tutankhamun's death solved after more than 3,000 years

It is one of the greatest mysteries of the ancient world - how the Egyptian boy pharaoh Tutankhamun died. Theories have ranged from a violent murder to leprosy and even a snake bite. But now, 91 years after his discovery and 3,336 years since his death, a surprising new analysis on Tutankhamun's remains has revealed just what it was that killed the boy king, the 11 th pharaoh of the 18 th dynasty of Egypt.

Mystery has surrounded the world’s most famous pharaoh ever since his death in 1323 BC, aged 19. The intrigue and superstition intensified when Lord Carnarvon, who was present when the tomb was opened, died shortly afterwards and a series of strange fates befell many of those who had entered the tomb.

Now British experts believe they have solved at least one of the mysteries surrounding the pharaoh – the question of how he died. The remarkable new analysis, which is due to be presented for the first time in the documentary ‘Tutankhamun: The Mystery of the Burnt Mummy’, has revealed substantial evidence that suggests the pharaoh died after being struck by a speeding chariot, and that a hasty embalming process caused his mummified body to spontaneously combust in his sarcophagus.