''The White 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 miniseries developed 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 ...

. It is based on

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 ...

's 2013 novel of the same name and, to a lesser extent, its 2014 sequel ''

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 ...

''. It is a sequel to the 2013 miniseries '' The White Queen'', which adapted three of Gregory's previous novels, and begins immediately where ''The White Queen'' finished. In the eight episode series, the marriage of Henry VII and

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 ...

effectively ends the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...

by uniting the houses of Lancaster and

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

. However, their mutual enmity and distrust, as well as the political plots of their mothers, threaten to tear both the marriage and the kingdom apart.

Cast and characters

Main

Jodie Comer Jodie Marie Comer ( ; born 11 March 1993) is an English actress who rose to global prominence for her role as Oksana Astankova / Villanelle in the BBC America spy thriller ''Killing Eve'' (2018–2022). She has received various accolades inc ...

as Elizabeth "Lizzie" of York, the Queen of England *

Rebecca Benson Rebecca Benson (born 24 April 1990) is a Scottish actress. She has appeared in the TV crime dramas '' Vera'' and ''Shetland''. Moreover, she appeared alongside Michael Fassbender in the 2015 film ''Macbeth''. Career In 2016, she joined the HBO ...

as Margaret "Maggie" Plantagenet, the Queen's paternal cousin, sister of Teddy *

Jacob Collins-Levy Jacob Collins-Levy (born 18 March 1992) is an Australian actor having played the role of Henry VII, King of England, in ''The White Princess'' (2017), and has appeared in ''True History of the Kelly Gang'' (2019), '' ''Doctor Who' (2020), ...

as Henry VII, the King of England, Elizabeth's husband *

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 (later Cardinal) John Morton, a confidant of the King's mother *

Essie Davis Esther Davis (born 19 January 1970) is an Australian actress and singer, best known for her roles as Phryne Fisher in ''Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries'' and its film adaptation, '' Miss Fisher & the Crypt of Tears'', and as Amelia Vanek in ''Th ...

as Dowager Queen Elizabeth Woodville, the Queen's mother *

Rossy de Palma Rosa Elena García Echave (born 16 September 1964), known professionally as Rossy de Palma, is a Spanish actress and model. She is well known for her roles in films by Pedro Almodóvar such as ''Law of Desire'', ''Women on the Verge of a Nervou ...

Isabella I of Castile Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as List of Aragonese royal consorts, Queen consort ...

, the Queen of Castile *

Richard Dillane Richard Dillane (born 1964) is a British actor. He appears in a lead role of the Netflix series ''Young Wallander'', based on the character Kurt Wallander created by novelist Henning Mankell. He played British intelligence agent Peter Nicholls i ...

as Thomas Stanley, Margaret Beaufort's husband *

Anthony Flanagan Anthony Flanagan (born 11 April 1972) is an English actor most widely known for his portrayal of policeman Tony in Channel 4's comedy-drama series '' Shameless''. Biography Flanagan was born in Stockport, Cheshire. At school he was called Antho ...

as Francis Lovell, a Yorkist supporter * 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 Plantage ...

, a pretender to the English crown and husband of Cathy Gordon. *

Caroline Goodall Caroline Cruice Goodall (born 13 November 1959) is a British actress and screenwriter. She was nominated for AFI Awards for her roles in the 1989 miniseries ''Cassidy'', and the 1995 film ''Hotel Sorrento''. Her other film appearances include ' ...

Cecily Neville, Duchess of York Cecily Neville (3 May 1415 – 31 May 1495) was an English noblewoman, the wife of Richard, Duke of York (1411–1460), and the mother of two kings of England—Edward IV and Richard III. Cecily Neville was known as "the Rose of Raby", because ...

, the Queen's paternal grandmother. Goodall is the only actor appearing in both ''The White Queen'' and ''The White Princess''. *

Amy Manson Amy Manson (born 9 September 1985) is a Scottish actress. She has portrayed Alice Guppy in ''Torchwood'', Abby Evans in '' Casualty'', Lizzie Siddal in ''Desperate Romantics'', Daisy Hannigan-Spiteri in '' Being Human'', Medea in ''Atlantis'' ...

as Catherine "Cathy" Gordon, wife of Richard of York *

Adrian Rawlins Adrian John Rawlins (born 27 March 1958) is an English actor best known for playing Arthur Kidd in '' The Woman in Black'' and James Potter in the ''Harry Potter'' films. In 2019, he starred in ''Chernobyl'' as Nikolai Fomin. Early life Rawli ...

as John de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, husband of Eliza de la Pole *

Vincent Regan Vincent Regan (born 16 May 1965) is a British film and television actor, best known for his roles in ''300'', ''Troy'', ''Unleashed'', '' Clash of the Titans'' and ''Lockout''. Early life Regan was born on 16 May 1965 in Swansea, Glamorgan, Wal ...

Jasper Tudor Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford (November 143121/26 December 1495), was the uncle of King Henry VII of England and a leading architect of his nephew's successful accession to the throne in 1485. He was from the noble Tudor family of Penmynydd i ...

, the King's uncle *

Suki Waterhouse Alice Suki Waterhouse (born 5 January 1992) is an English model, actress and singer. She began a career in modelling at the age of 16, and she would go on to model for several major fashion labels. Her first feature film as an actress was a min ...

Cecily of York Cecily of York (20 March 1469 – 24 August 1507), was the third daughter of King Edward IV of England and his queen consort Elizabeth Woodville. Shortly after the death of her father and the usurpation of the throne by her uncle King Richar ...

, the Queen's sister *

Joanne Whalley Joanne Whalley (born 25 August 1961) is an English actress who began her career in 1974. She has appeared primarily on television, but also in nearly 30 feature films, including ''Dance with a Stranger'' (1985), ''Willow (film), Willow'' (1988), ...

Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy Margaret of York (3 May 1446 – 23 November 1503)—also by marriage known as Margaret of Burgundy—was Duchess of Burgundy as the third wife of Charles the Bold and acted as a protector of the Burgundian State after his death. She was a daugh ...

, the Queen's paternal aunt * Andrew Whipp 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 dynast ...

, husband of Maggie Plantagenet *

Michelle Fairley Michelle Fairley (born 1964–1965) is an actress from Northern Ireland. She is best known for playing Catelyn Stark in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2013). She has since appeared in the USA Network series '' Suits'' (2013), the Fo ...

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 File:Michelle_Fairley_by_Gage_Skidmore_2_(cropped).jpg, Michelle Fairley (Margaret) File:Patrick_Gibson_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg, Patrick Gibson (Perkin) File:Suki_Waterhouse_(35450919821)_(cropped_-_head_shot).jpg, Suki Waterhouse (Cecily)

Recurring

Nicholas Audsley Nicholas Robert Audsley (born 6 February 1982) is an English actor, best known for his portrayal of Peter van Pels in '' Anne Frank: The Whole Story''. Audsley is the oldest of three siblings. He has a younger brother, Charlie, and a younger sis ...

Lord Strange Baron Strange is a title which has been created four times in the Peerage of England. Two creations, one in 1295 and another in 1326, had only one holder each, upon whose deaths they became extinct. Two of the creations, that of 1299 and that ...

* Rhys Connah (child) and Albert de Jongh (teen) as Edward "Teddy" Plantagenet, Earl of Warwick, the Queen's cousin, brother of Maggie * Heidi Ely as Princess Bridget, the Queen's sister * Oliver Hembrough as

John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln (c. 1460 – 16 June 1487) was a leading figure in the Yorkist aristocracy during the Wars of the Roses. After the death of his uncle Richard III, de la Pole was reconciled with the new Tudor regime, but two year ...

, the Duke of Suffolk's son * Rosie Knightley as

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of K ...

, the Queen's sister * Ava Masters as Princess Catherine, the Queen's sister * Rollo Skinner as Ned, a stable boy * Susie Trayling as Elizabeth "Eliza" de la Pole, Duchess of Suffolk, the Queen's paternal aunt * Guy Williams as William Stanley, Lord Thomas's brother * Iain Batchelor as

Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (22 March 1459 – 12 January 1519) was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death. He was never crowned by the pope, as the journey to Rome was blocked by the Venetians. He proclaimed himself El ...

* Dorian Grover as Philip * Zazie Hayhurst as Rettie * Billy Barratt as

Prince Arthur Prince Arthur may refer to: * Arthur I, Duke of Brittany (1187-1203), nephew and possible heir of Richard I of England * Arthur, Prince of Wales (1486–1502), eldest son Henry VII of England * Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1850� ...

, the King's first son *

Woody Norman Woody Ace Norman (born 12 March 2009) is an English child actor. He is best known for his role as Jesse in the film '' C'mon C'mon'' (2021), for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He appeared on the ''Evening Standard' ...

Prince Harry Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger son of Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. He is fifth in the line of succ ...

, the King's second son *

Philip Arditti Philip Arditti also credited as Philip Ishak Arditti, is a Turkish theatre and television actor of Jewish Sephardic descent, famous for his role as Uday Hussein in the four episode '' House of Saddam'' television docudrama. He also appeared in t ...

as Rodrigo de Puebla, the Spanish ambassador

Guest

* Ned Elliott as

Prince Richard Prince Richard may refer to: * Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York (1473–) * Prince Richard von Metternich (1829–1895), from the German House of Metternich * Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (1934–2017), from the German House of ...

, the Queen's brother * Luc Webb as Prince Edward, the Queen's brother * Derek Frood as the Mayor of York * Kitty Smith as Ruth * Emmanuelle Bouaziz as

Mary of Burgundy Mary (french: Marie; nl, Maria; 13 February 1457 – 27 March 1482), nicknamed the Rich, was a member of the House of Valois-Burgundy who ruled a collection of states that included the duchies of Limburg, Brabant, Luxembourg, the counties of ...

* Max True as

Lambert Simnel Lambert Simnel (c. 1477 – after 1534) was a pretender to the throne of England. In 1487, his claim to be Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick, threatened the newly established reign of Henry VII (1485–1509). Simnel became the f ...

* Nia Roberts as Catherine "Kate" Woodville, Duchess of Buckingham * Norman Arthur Eshley as the Abbot * Marc Danbury as the Priest * Juan Echenique as

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 ...

, the King of Aragon *

Nicholas Gecks Nicholas Gecks is a British actor who appeared in Series Four of ''Rumpole of the Bailey'' as his modernising colleague Charles Hearthstoke. Early life Gecks was born in Penang, Malaysia in 1952. Career Gecks starred as Father Mike in the 1983 ...

as the Wimborne Priest *

Alex Sawyer Alexander James Sawyer (born 13 February 1993) is an English actor, singer, songwriter and director. He is best known for his roles as Alfie Lewis in ''House of Anubis'' and Topher in ''The End of the F***ing World''. In 2018, he began portrayi ...

as Kofi, Novice Monk * Mark Edel-Hunt 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 ...

* Alasdair McLaughlin as Noah Luff

Episodes

Production

Development

The 10-part 2013 television series ''The White Queen'' adapted Gregory's previous novels '' The White Queen'' (2009), '' The Red Queen'' (2010) and ''

The Kingmaker's Daughter ''The Kingmaker's Daughter'' is a 2012 historical novel by Philippa Gregory, part of her series ''The Cousins' War''. It is the story of Anne Neville, wife of Richard III of England. The 2013 BBC One television series '' The White Queen'' is ...

'' (2012). The series was broadcast on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

in the United Kingdom and on

in the United States, and features

Freya Mavor Freya Mavor (born 13 August 1993) is a Scottish actress and model. She is best known for her roles as Mini McGuinness in the E4 teen drama '' Skins'' and Daria Greenock in the HBO finance drama series ''Industry''. Early life Mavor was born i ...

as a young Elizabeth of York. Despite initial plans for a second series, on 20 August 2013 the BBC announced they were not commissioning one, possibly because of the lukewarm reception the series received. However, in October 2013, ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

'' reported that Starz was planning to develop a sequel miniseries called ''The White Princess'', based on Gregory's novel. Starz CEO Chris Albrecht announced in January 2014 that the network was working with ''White Queen'' screenwriter

Emma Frost Emma Grace Frost is a fictional 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 created by writer ...

on the project. Starz would produce the ''White Princess'' miniseries without involvement from the BBC. Gregory confirmed that the project was underway in August 2015. On 7 February 2016, Gregory announced on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

that the sequel was officially confirmed to be in production, with the scripts being written. The series was confirmed to be eight episodes in May 2016. Jamie Payne, who directed three episodes of ''The White Queen'', directed episodes 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8. Frost was the showrunner and executive producer. Lachlan MacKinnon is served as producer, with Gregory as executive producer. Playground's

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 a ...

and Scott Huff also executive produced with

Company Pictures Company Pictures is an independent British television production company which has produced drama programming for many broadcasters. It was set up in 1998 by Charles Pattinson and George Faber, colleagues at BBC Films. Their first film was '' M ...

' Michele Buck.

Casting

was cast in the title role of

in April 2016, with

added as

in May. In June 2016, Starz announced the casting of

as Dowager Queen Elizabeth, Jacob Collins-Levy as Henry VII,

as Margaret Plantagenet, and

. The remaining cast includes

as Duchess Cecily,

as Bishop Morton,

and Rhys Connah as Teddy Plantagenet.

Filming

Principal photography began in June 2016, with locations including

Bradford on Avon Bradford-on-Avon (sometimes Bradford on Avon or Bradford upon Avon) is a town and civil parish in west Wiltshire, England, near the border with Somerset, which had a population of 9,402 at the 2011 census. The town's canal, historic buildings, s ...

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

Berkeley Castle Berkeley Castle ( ; historically sometimes spelled as ''Berkley Castle'' or ''Barkley Castle'') is a castle in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. The castle's origins date back to the 11th century, and it has been desi ...

Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishment of a minster dedicated to S ...

Lacock Lacock is a village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England, about 3 miles (5 km) south of the town of Chippenham, and about outside the Cotswolds area. The village is owned almost in its entirety by the National Trust a ...

Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England. The cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Salisbury and is the seat of the Bishop of Salisbury. The buildi ...

, and

Wells Wells most commonly refers to: * Wells, Somerset, a cathedral city in Somerset, England * Well, an excavation or structure created in the ground * Wells (name) Wells may also refer to: Places Canada *Wells, British Columbia England * Wells ...

Release

In early January 2017, the producers released a video clip from the series as a teaser trailer. In February 2017, Starz announced that ''The White Princess'' would premiere on 16 April 2017. In the UK the series began its satellite and terrestrial broadcasts on the

Drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

channel on 18 November 2017.

Reception

The miniseries received generally favorable reviews. On

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 ...

, it has an approval rating of 76% based on reviews from 17 critics, with an average rating of 6.95/10. The website's critics consensus indicated the series was "well-acted and enlivened by its fresh perspective" and "delivers more than enough intrigue to satisfy fans of period British royal court drama." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, the show has a weighted average score of 71 based on reviews from 9 critics.

Continuation

On 15 March 2018, Starz announced that it will create a continuation of ''The White Queen'' and ''The White Princess'' to be titled ''

The Spanish Princess ''The Spanish Princess'' is a historical drama television limited series developed by Emma Frost and Matthew Graham for Starz. Based on the novels ''The Constant Princess'' (2005) and ''The King's Curse'' (2014) by Philippa Gregory, it is a seque ...

'', which will be based on Gregory's 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 ...

'' and ''

'' and center on

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 ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:White Princess, The 2010s American drama television miniseries 2017 British television series debuts 2017 British television series endings 2017 American television series debuts 2017 American television series endings Costume drama television series English-language television shows Henry VII of England House of Tudor Serial drama television series Television shows based on British novels Television series about the history of England Television series set in the 15th century Television series set in the Middle Ages Works about women in war 2010s British drama television series Cultural depictions of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury