The White Princess

The White Princess

Company type	Historical novel
Industry	Literature
Founded	2013
Founder	Philippa Gregory
Products	Novel

The White Princess is a historical novel released in 2013 by Philippa Gregory, forming part of her The Cousins' War series. The narrative centers on Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville, who becomes the spouse of Henry VII of England and mother to Henry VIII of England.

In October 2013, The Telegraph announced that Starz intended to produce an eight-episode miniseries adaptation as a follow-up to the 2013 series The White Queen, which was based on Gregory's previous novels. Filming commenced in June 2016.

Plot

Following the demise of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth, his niece and former lover, Elizabeth of York, weds Henry Tudor, the newly crowned king, aiming to conclude the Wars of the Roses conflict between Lancaster and York. As queen, Elizabeth works to protect her family but harbors suspicions about Henry—who harbors resentment toward her York lineage—regarding her brother Edward's vanishing. At Henry’s urging, Elizabeth conceives prior to their marriage; they subsequently marry and have a son, Arthur. Nevertheless, Henry’s rule remains fraught with instability.

Henry detains the young York claimant Edward ("Teddy") in the Tower amid escalating Yorkist support. Upon learning that Elizabeth's mother covertly finances Yorkist exiles, Henry confines her to Bermondsey Abbey. Elizabeth finds herself conflicted between allegiance to her mother’s cause and her own family. She is aware that her mother sent her brother Richard abroad for safety while an imposter was probably killed in the Tower.

Elizabeth and Henry have two additional children: daughter Margaret and son Henry. As uprisings increase with a claimant impersonating Richard—backed by Elizabeth’s aunt Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy, James IV of Scotland, among others—Henry’s distrust intensifies. Eventually, Henry apprehends the pretender, known as Perkin Warbeck, who renounces his claim and is kept under house arrest at court. Elizabeth refuses to recognize him.

Warbeck gains standing through his wife Katherine Huntly, who attempts to win favor with Henry to safeguard her husband. Following an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Warbeck, Henry imprisons him along with Teddy. Both are executed after being accused of treason following an escape effort.

Critical reception

Helen Brown of The Telegraph lauded The White Princess in 2013 as a "psychologically involving page-turner" that explores a reign overlooked by Shakespeare. She appreciated the return of Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret Beaufort—the central figures in Gregory's The White Queen (2009) and The Red Queen (2010)—and emphasized the novel's endorsement of the disputed theory that Elizabeth of York's brother Richard survived his imprisonment in the Tower of London. Publishers Weekly praised Gregory’s depiction of this often neglected queen, her complicated husband, and a youthful Henry VIII, noting that the Tudor period showcases her finest writing.

AudioFile granted the audiobook edition an Earphones Award, describing it as "thrilling" and "richly imagined," commending both Philippa Gregory’s work and narrator Bianca Amato.

Adaptation

The 2013 television series The White Queen, consisting of ten episodes, brought to screen Gregory's novels The White Queen (2009), The Red Queen (2010), and The Kingmaker's Daughter (2012). Broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom and Starz in the United States, the series starred Freya Mavor portraying a young Elizabeth of York. Although there were intentions to produce a second season, the BBC opted not to proceed with renewal in August 2013, a decision likely influenced by the show's moderate critical and audience response.

Later in October 2013, Starz revealed plans to develop a follow-up miniseries titled The White Princess, adapted from Gregory's novel of the same name. By January 2014, Starz CEO Chris Albrecht confirmed that the network was actively working on the project alongside screenwriter Emma Frost, independently from the BBC. Philippa Gregory herself acknowledged progress by August 2015, and in February 2016 she announced that production was underway with scripts being finalized. Filming for this eight-episode limited series commenced in June 2016.

External links

• Official Philippa Gregory website