''The Spanish Princess'' is a

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

television limited series developed by

Emma Frost Emma Grace Frost is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. The character first appeared in ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #129 (Jan. 1980), and was ...

and

Matthew Graham Matthew Graham is a British television writer, and the co-creator of the BBC/Kudos (production company), Kudos Film and Television science fiction series ''Life on Mars (UK TV series), Life on Mars'', which debuted in 2006 on BBC One and has re ...

for

Starz Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz consist ...

. Based on the novels ''

The Constant Princess ''The Constant Princess'' is a historical fiction novel by Philippa Gregory, published in 2005. The novel depicts a highly fictionalized version of the life of Catherine of Aragon and her rise to power in England. Plot summary Catalina of Ara ...

'' (2005) and ''

The King's Curse ''The King's Curse'' is a 2014 historical novel by Philippa Gregory, part of her series ''The Cousins' War''. A direct sequel to '' The White Princess'', it follows the adult life of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, the daughter of George Pl ...

'' (2014) by

Philippa Gregory Philippa Gregory (born 9 January 1954) is an English historical novelist who has been publishing since 1987. The best known of her works is ''The Other Boleyn Girl'' (2001), which in 2002 won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Roman ...

, it is a sequel to the miniseries '' The White Queen'' and ''

The White Princess ''The White Princess'' is a 2013 historical novel by Philippa Gregory, part of her series '' The Cousins' War''. It is the story of Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville, and later wife of Henry VII and ...

''. It centres around

Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...

(

Charlotte Hope Charlotte Hope is an English actress. She first achieved recognition for her recurring role as Myranda in the third through fifth seasons of the HBO fantasy series ''Game of Thrones'' (2013–2016). Hope gained further prominence in the lead ...

), the eponymous Spanish princess who became Queen of England as the first wife of King

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

(

Ruairi O'Connor Ruairí O’Connor is an Irish actor. He is known for his role as Henry Tudor, the future Henry VIII, in Starz series ''The Spanish Princess''. He has also starred in '' Handsome Devil'' and '' The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It''. Early ...

). Designed as a 16-part limited series, the first eight episodes premiered on May 5, 2019. On June 3, 2019, Starz ordered the remaining eight episodes, which premiered on October 11, 2020. The series finale aired on November 29, 2020.

Premise

Teenaged princess

, daughter of Spanish rulers

Isabella Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpor ...

and

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...

, finally travels to England, to meet her husband by proxy,

Arthur, Prince of Wales Arthur, Prince of Wales (19/20 September 1486 – 2 April 1502), was the eldest son of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York. He was Duke of Cornwall from birth, and he was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester in 1489. As ...

, heir apparent of

Henry VII of England Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort ...

, to whom she has been betrothed since she was a child. Unwelcome by some, she and her diverse court, including her lady-in-waiting Lina, who is of

Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...

ancestry, struggle to adapt to English customs. Catherine is horrified to learn that Arthur's younger brother, the arrogant Henry, Duke of York, is the author of the romantic correspondence she has received. When Arthur dies suddenly, her destiny as the one who will bring peace between Spain and England seems in doubt, until she sets her sights on Prince Henry.

Cast

Main

Sai Bennett Sai Naomi Bennett (born 30 May 1990) is an English actress and model. She began her career in modeling and gained prominence through her roles in the film ''The Face of an Angel'' (2014) and the ITV (TV channel), ITV period drama ''Mr Selfridge'' ...

as Princess Mary of England, later Queen of France. Isla Merrick-Lawless portrays a younger Princess Mary. *

Alicia Borrachero Alicia Borrachero Bonilla (born 14 February 1968) is a Spanish actress. She became popular in Spain owing to her performance as Ana in television series '' Periodistas''. Biography Alicia Borrachero Bonilla was born on 14 February 1968 in Mad ...

as Queen Isabella of Castille *

Andrew Buchan Andrew Buchan (born 19 February 1979) is an English stage and television actor known for his roles as Mark Latimer in the ITV drama ''Broadchurch'' (2013–17), as Scott Foster in the BBC political drama '' Party Animals'' (2007), as John Merc ...

Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord ...

Laura Carmichael Laura Elizabeth Carmichael (born 16 July 1986) is an English film and television actress, most widely known for her performance as Lady Edith Crawley in the ITV (UK) and PBS (US) television period drama series'' Downton Abbey''. Her other wo ...

as Margaret "Maggie" Pole * Daniel Cerqueira as De Fuensalida, the Spanish ambassador to England * Aaron Cobham as Oviedo, a Spanish Muslim crossbow-maker and one of Princess Catherine of Aragon's guards *

Elliot Cowan Elliot Aidan Cowan (born 9 July 1976) is an English people, English actor, known for portraying Corporal Jem Poynton in ''Ultimate Force'', Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mr Darcy in ''Lost in Austen'', and Ptolemy I Soter, Ptolemy in the 2004 film ''Alexan ...

King Henry VII of England Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort, ...

* Philip Cumbus as

Thomas Wolsey Thomas Wolsey ( – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic bishop. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and by 1514 he had become the controlling figur ...

* Antonio de la Torre as King

Ferdinand II of Aragon Ferdinand II ( an, Ferrando; ca, Ferran; eu, Errando; it, Ferdinando; la, Ferdinandus; es, Fernando; 10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), also called Ferdinand the Catholic (Spanish: ''el Católico''), was King of Aragon and Sardinia from ...

Peter Egan Peter Joseph Egan (born 28 September 1946) is a British actor and animal rights activist. He is known for his television roles, including Hogarth in ''Big Breadwinner Hog'', the future George IV of the United Kingdom in ''Prince Regent'' (1979 ...

as General Thomas Howard * Alba Galocha as Queen

Joanna of Castile Joanna (6 November 1479 – 12 April 1555), historically known as Joanna the Mad ( es, link=no, Juana la Loca), was the nominal Queen of Castile from 1504 and Queen of Aragon from 1516 to her death in 1555. She was married by arrangement to Phi ...

* Chloe Harris as Lady Elizabeth "Bessie" Blount *

Georgie Henley Georgina Helen Henley (born 9 July 1995) is an English actress. She first began acting as a child, and became known for starring as Lucy Pevensie in the fantasy film series ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' film series (2005–2010), which grossed o ...

as Princess Margaret "Meg" Tudor, later Queen of Scotland *

as Princess

, later Queen of England *

Angus Imrie Angus William Jake Imrie (born 2 August 1994) is a British actor. He is known for playing the character Josh Archer in BBC Radio 4's long-running drama serial ''The Archers''. In 2014, he won the casting agency Spotlight's Most Promising Actor ...

as Crown Prince Arthur Tudor * Stephanie Levi-John as Lina de Cardonnes, a

Morisco Moriscos (, ; pt, mouriscos ; Spanish for "Moorish") were former Muslims and their descendants whom the Roman Catholic church and the Spanish Crown commanded to convert to Christianity or face compulsory exile after Spain outlawed the open p ...

lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon * Gordon Kennedy as

John Stewart, Duke of Albany John Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany (8 July 14822 July 1536) was the regent of the Kingdom of Scotland and the count of Auvergne and Lauraguais in France. Early life John was a son of Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany, son of King James II of S ...

* Alan McKenna as

Sir Richard Pole Sir Richard Pole, KG (1462 – October 1504) was a supporter and first cousin of King Henry VII of England. He was created a Knight of the Garter and was married to Margaret Plantagenet, Countess of Salisbury, a member of the Plantagenet dyn ...

Alexandra Moen Alexandra Moen (born 1978) is an English actress, known for her roles as Emily James in the drama series '' Hotel Babylon'', Tamsin in the drama series ''Tripping Over'', and Lucy Saxon in the science fiction series ''Doctor Who''. Early life Moe ...

Elizabeth of York Elizabeth of York (11 February 1466 – 11 February 1503) was Queen of England from her marriage to King Henry VII on 18 January 1486 until her death in 1503. Elizabeth married Henry after his victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field, which ma ...

, Queen of England *

as Harry, Duke of York, later King Henry VIII of England *

Nadia Parkes Nadia Sofia Parkes (born 31 December 1995) is an English actress. Early life Parkes grew up in Leamington Spa. She attended The King's High School for Girls. She went on to train at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), graduat ...

as Rosa de Vargas, a lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon * Richard Pepper as

Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Wiltshire Thomas Bolina, Earl of Wiltshire, 1st Earl of Ormond, 1st Viscount Rochford Order of the Garter, KG Order of the Bath, KB (c. 1477 – 12 March 1539), of Hever Castle in Kent, was an English diplomat and politician who was the father of Anne Bo ...

Jordan Renzo Jordan Renzo (born February 11, 1993) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Matteusz Andrzejewski in the BBC Three '' Doctor Who'' spin-off '' Class'' (2016) and Charlie Brandon in the Starz historical drama ''The Spanish Princess'' ...

as Charles "Charlie" Brandon * Olly Rix as Edward Stafford *

Ray Stevenson George Raymond Stevenson (born 25 May 1964) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He is known for playing Dagonet in the film ''King Arthur'' (2004) and Titus Pullo in the BBC/ HBO television series ''Rome'' (2005–2007). He has portrayed two M ...

as King

James IV of Scotland James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauchi ...

Harriet Walter Dame Harriet Mary Walter (born 24 September 1950) is a British actress. She has received a Laurence Olivier Award as well as numerous nominations including for a Tony Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2011 ...

Margaret Beaufort Lady Margaret Beaufort (usually pronounced: or ; 31 May 1441/43 – 29 June 1509) was a major figure in the Wars of the Roses of the late fifteenth century, and mother of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch. A descendant of ...

, the King's Mother

Recurring

* Mamadou Doumbia as

John Blanke John Blanke (also rendered Blancke or Blak) ( fl. 1501–1511) was a musician of African descent in London in the early 16th century, who probably came to England as one of the African attendants of Catherine of Aragon in 1501. He is one of the ...

* Morgan Jones as

Edmund Dudley Edmund Dudley (c. 1462Gunn 2010 or 1471/147217 August 1510) was an English administrator and a financial agent of King Henry VII. He served as a leading member of the Council Learned in the Law, Speaker of the House of Commons and Presi ...

* Nick Barber as Edmund de la Pole * Mimi De Winton (part 1) and Amelia Gething (part 2) as

Ursula Pole Ursula Pole, Baroness Stafford (c. 1504 – 12 August 1570) was an English noblewoman; the wife of Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford; a wealthy heiress and the only daughter of Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury. Her mother was the last sur ...

* Arthur Bateman (part 1) and Clark Butler (part 2) as Reggie Pole * Matt Carr (part 1) and Theo Ancient (part 2) as Henry Pole * Luke Mullins as William Compton * Moe Idris as Negasi *

Mark Rowley Sir Mark Peter Rowley (born November 1964) is a British senior police officer who has been the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis since September 2022. He was the Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis for Specialist Operati ...

as Alexander Stewart * Andrew Rothney as Angus Douglas * Brian Ferguson as

Gavin Douglas Gavin Douglas (c. 1474 – September 1522) was a Scottish bishop, makar and translator. Although he had an important political career, he is chiefly remembered for his poetry. His main pioneering achievement was the '' Eneados'', a full and fa ...

* Jamie Michie as Hume * Alice Nokes as

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...

* Bessie Coates as Mary Boleyn * Christopher Craig as King

Louis XII of France Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and brother in law at the tim ...

* Milo Callaghan as Henry Stafford * Thoren Ferguson as Hal Stewart * Billie Gadsdon as Princess Mary * Lewis Russell as

Jamie Jamie is a unisex name. It is a diminutive form of James or, more rarely, other names. It is also given as a name in its own right. People Female * Jamie Anne Allman (born 1977), American actress * Jamie Babbit (born 1970), American film and te ...

Guests

Kenneth Cranham Kenneth Cranham (born 12 December 1944) is a Scottish film, television, radio and stage actor. Early life Cranham was born in Dunfermline, Fife, the son of Lochgelly-born Margaret McKay Cranham (née Ferguson) and Ronald Cranham, a London-born ...

as Bishop John Morton * Patrick Gibson as

Richard of York Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (21 September 1411 – 30 December 1460), also named Richard Plantagenet, was a leading English magnate and claimant to the throne during the Wars of the Roses. He was a member of the ruling House of Planta ...

Luka Peroš Luka Peroš (born 28 October 1976) is a Croatian actor best known for the role of Marseille in '' Money Heist''. Peroš is a polyglot and multilingual, being able to speak eight different languages. He speaks fluent English. Early life Peroš gr ...

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

* Norman Bowman as

William Dunbar William Dunbar (born 1459 or 1460 – died by 1530) was a Scottish makar, or court poet, active in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. He was closely associated with the court of King James IV and produced a large body of work i ...

* Philip Andrew as

Philip I of Castile Philip the Handsome, es, Felipe, french: Philippe, nl, Filips (22 July 1478 – 25 September 1506), also called the Fair, was ruler of the Burgundian Netherlands and titular ruler, titular Duke of Burgundy from 1482 to 1506, as well as the fir ...

Philip McGinley Philip Kiaran McGinley (born 6 June 1981) is an English actor, best known for playing Anguy the Archer in Season 3 of HBO's ''Game of Thrones''. Early life He was born in Liverpool and grew up in Golborne, near Wigan. He attended All Saints P ...

as George Neville * Sam John as Charles of Burgundy, later King Charles of Spain * Ian Pirie as George Douglas * Tessa Bonham Jones as Anne Hastings * Molly Vevers as Jane Stewart * Paul Forman as King Francis of France * Jimmy Walker as John Lincoln * Nathanael Jones as Henry Fitzroy

Episodes

Production

Development

On March 15, 2018, it was announced that

had greenlit the production.

and

were set to serve as showrunners in addition to executive producing alongside

Colin Callender Sir Colin Nigel Callender (born May 1952) is a British television, film and theater producer. He is the CEO at Playground Entertainment, a production company with offices in New York and London. Early life and education Callender was born to ...

, Scott Huff,

Charlie Pattinson Charles Pattinson (sometimes credited as Charlie Pattinson) is a British television producer. His initial career was in the theatre, where he was an assistant director at the Royal Court Theatre in the mid-1980s. In 1985 he moved into television, ...

, and Charlie Hampton. Production companies All3 Media's New Pictures and Playground were expected to be involved. On May 17, 2018, it was reported that the first two episodes would be directed by Birgitte Stærmose and that most episodes in the series would be directed by women. On June 3, 2019, Starz announced that the series would return for another eight episodes and that Graham and Frost "always intended for ''The Spanish Princess'' to span 16 episodes, but they wrote a natural stopping place after the first eight just in case." Part two would be broadcast in 2020, with stars Charlotte Hope and

returning to the show as Catherine and Henry, "along with other key cast." It was confirmed on June 9, 2019, by showrunner

, that both Georgie Henley and Olly Rix, who portray Meg Tudor and Edward Stafford, would return for the next eight episodes and that Meg's role would be "huge in the back eight" and that "we are totally with her story, we're up in Scotland, we're sort of ''Spanish Princess'' meets ''Outlander''" and that Stafford would get some "redemption." Richard Pepper's agent confirmed, on May 8, 2020, that he would return as Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Wiltshire. Jordan Renzo's return as Charles Brandon was confirmed by the part two teaser trailer on May 7, 2020 and Laura Carmichael's return was confirmed in an interview done by Emma Frost and Matthew Graham; the same interview confirmed that part two would "move around from France to England to Scotland a lot more and tell three interconnected stories."

Casting

Alongside the directing announcement, it was confirmed that

, Stephanie Levi-John,

, Philip Cumbus, Nadia Parkes, Aaron Cobham, Alan McKenna, Richard Pepper,

Olly Rix ''Of Kings and Prophets'' is an American television drama based on the Biblical Books of Samuel that premiered on ABC. The series follows an ensemble of characters including Saul and David, the successive kings of Israel, their families, and the ...

, Daniel Cerqueira, and

had been cast in the series.

Filming

Principal photography for the series commenced on May 15, 2018, at

Wells Cathedral Wells Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England, dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, whose cathedra it holds as mother church of the Diocese of Bath and Wells. Built as a ...

Wells, Somerset Wells () is a cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, located on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills, south-east of Weston-super-Mare, south-west of Bath and south of Bristol. Although the population recorde ...

. Principal photography for part two commenced on September 26, 2019 and finished on March 11, 2020, one day before lockdown due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Some filming took place at

Mendip Hills The Mendip Hills (commonly called the Mendips) is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running from Weston-super-Mare and the Bristol Channel in the west to the Frome valley in the east, the hills ...

, which doubled for

Flodden Field The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton, (Brainston Moor) was a battle fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, resulting in an English ...

Release

On December 20, 2018, a "first look" still image from the series was released. On January 25, 2019, a teaser trailer for the series was released. On March 7, 2019, the series was given a May 5, 2019, premiere date. On September 10, 2020, the trailer for part two was released; the eight-episode installment premiered on October 11, 2020.

Reception

Critical response

The series received mixed to positive reviews in the United States. On the

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, part one of the series has an approval rating of 75% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 7.13/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "''The Spanish Princess'' blends soapy melodrama with beautifully rendered historical set-pieces to paint a rounder — if still not fully realized — portrait of an often overlooked queen." However, reflecting the low viewer ratings ''The Spanish Princess'' received, only 25% of Rotten Tomatoes audience members liked the show, so it had a 75% negative rating with viewers. ''The Spanish Princess Season 2'' is only rated at 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, without a sufficient numbers of ratings to gain a positive or a negative "Tomatometer" reading. In Spain, the series caused curiosity upon release, but later received a combination of hard criticisms and tired indifference. It was accused of "wild historical inaccuracy", and has been described by various media as "insulting", "offensive", and "as full of stereotyping as sadly expected". The newspaper ABC wrote that it "invents and humiliates atherine'shistory." The newspaper ''20minutos'' and the TV guide by eldiario.es both call it "one of the worst shows about Spanish history."

Ratings

Home media release

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Spanish Princess, The 2019 American television series debuts 2019 British television series debuts 2020 American television series endings 2020 British television series endings 2010s American drama television series 2010s British drama television series 2020s American drama television series 2020s British drama television series English-language television shows Starz original programming Television shows based on British novels Fiction set in the 1500s Television series about the history of England Television series set in the 16th century Cultural depictions of Catherine of Aragon Cultural depictions of Isabella I of Castile Cultural depictions of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury