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 sequel to the miniseries The White Queen and The White Princess. It centres around Catherine of Aragon (Charlotte Hope), the eponymous Spanish princess who became Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII (Ruairi O'Connor).

The Spanish Princess
Genre
Based onThe King's Curse & The Constant Princess
by Philippa Gregory
Developed by
Written by
  • Emma Frost
  • Matthew Graham
  • Helen Childress
  • Nicki Renna
  • Andrea Thornton Bolden
Directed by
Starring
Composer(s)
Country of originUnited States
United Kingdom
Original language(s)English
No. of episodes8 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • Emma Frost
  • Matthew Graham
  • Colin Callender
  • Scott Huff
  • Charlie Hampton
  • Charlie Pattinson
Producer(s)Andrea Dewsbery
CinematographyMaja Zamojda
Editor(s)
  • Jo Smyth
  • Caroline Bleakley
  • David Yardley
  • Nikki McChristie
Running time55 minutes
Production company(s)
  • All3 Media’s New Pictures
  • Playground
  • Giddy Ink
  • Jumping Joseph
Release
Original networkStarz
Original releaseMay 5, 2019 (2019-05-05) –
present
Chronology
Preceded byThe White Queen
The White Princess
External links
Website
Production website

Originally 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 will premiere in fall 2020 and conclude the story.

Premise

Teenaged princess Catherine of Aragon, daughter of Spanish rulers Isabella and Ferdinand, finally travels to England, to meet her husband by proxy, Arthur, Prince of Wales, heir apparent of Henry VII of England, 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 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

Recurring

Guest

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
Part 1
1"The New World"Birgitte StærmoseEmma Frost & Matthew GrahamMay 5, 2019 (2019-05-05)0.393[1]
October – November 1501: Catherine arrives in England. When she meets Arthur, Prince of Wales, Catherine is disappointed that he isn't as romantic in person as he was in his letters. She later learns it was Arthur's younger brother, Harry, who exchanged letters with her. Elizabeth, the queen, tells Catherine that the brother of her cousin, Maggie Pole, was beheaded because Catherine's mother, Isabella, would only pledge Catherine's hand in marriage if there were no other claimants to England's throne. As Harry walks Catherine to the altar on her wedding day, he admits that he initially exchanged letters with her to hurt Arthur, but later found that her letters excited him.
2"Fever Dream"Birgitte StærmoseMatthew GrahamMay 12, 2019 (2019-05-12)0.398[2]
November 1501 – April 1502: After the wedding, Arthur and Catherine stay in Henry's household for a short time. Arthur and Harry's sister Margaret learns that Henry has offered her hand in marriage to James IV of Scotland to form another alliance for England. Catherine begs Maggie Pole's forgiveness for being the reason Maggie's brother was murdered. Arthur and Catherine set off for Ludlow Castle, to set-up their own household, and become closer as they learn more about each other. Maggie Pole and her family accompany them. Arthur becomes gravely ill. Henry and Elizabeth race to Ludlow, but arrive too late. Henry informs Catherine she will return to London and stay in the royal household until they know if she is with child.
3"An Audacious Plan"Daina ReidHelen ChildressMay 19, 2019 (2019-05-19)0.456[3]
April 1502 – February 1503: Catherine learns that Isabella is arranging another alliance marriage. Catherine hides her true condition to bide her time in England, which would solve many problems for her, her maid, Lina, and her guard, Oviedo. Catherine tells Lina, and later Harry, that her marriage to Arthur was never consummated. Harry proposes and asks Henry to request a papal dispensation so he and Catherine can marry. Elizabeth goes into labor. After the difficult stillbirth, she has a vision that the Tudor line will end if Harry and Catherine marry and begs Henry to prevent the marriage. As Catherine writes to Isabella for her blessing to marry Harry, mourning bells begin to peal for Elizabeth.
4"The Battle for Harry"Daina ReidNicki RennaMay 26, 2019 (2019-05-26)0.500[4]
March 1503: Edmund de la Pole, the leading Yorkist claimant to the throne and a cousin of both the late queen and Maggie Pole, is plotting to overthrow Henry. Henry tells Lady Margaret that Harry wants to marry Catherine. She confronts Catherine about her alleged virginity then orders her out of the palace. Lady Margaret bans Maggie from court when Maggie states Catherine may be telling the truth. Henry learns Maximilian I is protecting Edmund de la Pole. Henry sets his grief aside to see Princess Margaret off as she departs for Scotland to marry. He hosts a feast to celebrate the future and invites Catherine. Henry makes an announcement that indirectly fulfills the late queen's dying wish: a royal marriage between himself and Catherine.
5"Heart Versus Duty"Lisa ClarkeAndrea Thornton BoldenJune 2, 2019 (2019-06-02)0.546[5]
Late 1503 – Late 1505: Catherine is torn between her duty to marry Henry and her desire to marry Harry. Margaret arrives in Scotland and is pleasantly surprised by her betrothed. Harry tells Lady Margaret, and later Catherine, that if Catherine wants to marry him instead Henry, he will fight for her. Catherine fears her fate should she reject Henry and crush his pride, but decides to follow her heart. She convinces Henry that the alliance with Spain will be weakened when Harry becomes king if she is Henry's widow instead of Harry's wife. Henry withdraws his intentions, but reminds Catherine and Harry that they can only marry if the Pope grants a dispensation and if Spain pays the remainder of Catherine's dowry. Maggie Pole's husband dies unexpectedly.
6"A Polite Kidnapping"Lisa ClarkeEmma FrostJune 9, 2019 (2019-06-09)0.493[6]
January – April 1506: Catherine learns that her mother has died, her sister Joanna is queen of Castile, and her father won't pay her dowry. Joanna and her husband Philip are stranded in England. Henry, hoping Philip's father, Maximilian I, will turn over Edmund de la Pole, secretly delays repairs to their ship. Maggie Pole is destitute. To extract a forced confession about Catherine's virginity, Lady Margaret offers assistance to Maggie, which she refuses. In exchange for her dowry, Catherine tells Joanna how she can escape England: Joanna will persuade Maximilian to turn de la Pole over to Henry or lose trade with Castile if Henry takes an oath to spare de la Pole's life. Rather than pay Catherine's dowry, Joanna forms a new alliance with England at the suggestion of Lady Margaret: betroth Joanna's son Charles to Harry's younger sister, Mary.
7"All is Lost"Stephen WoolfendenHelen ChildressJune 16, 2019 (2019-06-16)0.509[7]
September 1506 – December 1507: Catherine learns there is to be a double wedding in Spain: Mary to her nephew Charles and Harry to her niece Eleanor. Oviedo proposes to Lina and tells her he is working for Lady Margaret. Harry is torn between his duty to marry Eleanor and his desire to marry Catherine. Maggie Pole seeks shelter with Catherine and Lina. Catherine's father Ferdinand writes that Joanna's husband Philip has died and Joanna is not fit to rule Castile. Ferdinand is guardian to Joanna's children and Castile's regent. Ferdinand makes Catherine the Aragonese ambassador to England and promises her dowry. Catherine's new status allows her and Lina to move back into the palace. Oviedo provides Lady Margaret with the names of de la Pole's co-conspirators, which now include Maggie and her eldest son. He later protects Maggie's son during a raid.
8"Destiny"Stephen WoolfendenEmma Frost & Matthew GrahamJune 23, 2019 (2019-06-23)0.528[8]
April 1509 – June 1509: Henry dies. Harry reaffirms his desire to marry Catherine. Lady Margaret accuses Edmund Dudley of treason for her own illegal activities and he is beheaded. Harry pardons Maggie Pole and her children and they return to court. Lady Margaret extracts a forced confession from Lina about Catherine's virginity by accusing Oviedo of theft and demanding his hanging. Lina and Oviedo marry before his hanging. Harry and Catherine arrive in time to save Oviedo's life. Harry learns the Pope granted a dispensation sometime before Henry's death. Lady Margaret dies. On their wedding day, Catherine receives a letter from Ferdinand, stating Harry slept with Joanna. Harry denies it, and Catherine again denies that she slept with Arthur.
Part 2
9"Camelot"[9]Chanya Button[10][11]Emma Frost & Matthew Graham[9]Fall 2020[12] (Fall 2020[12])[13]TBD
1509[14] - at least 1511[15]
10TBAChanya Button[11]TBAFall 2020[12] (Fall 2020[12])[13]TBD
11TBAChanya Button[11]TBAFall 2020[12] (Fall 2020[12])[13]TBD
12TBALisa Clarke[16]TBAFall 2020[12] (Fall 2020[12])[13]TBD
13TBALisa Clarke[16]TBAFall 2020[12] (Fall 2020[12])[13]TBD
14TBALisa Clarke[16]TBAFall 2020[12] (Fall 2020[12])[13]TBD
15TBARebecca Gatward[17]TBAFall 2020[12] (Fall 2020[12])[13]TBD
16TBARebecca Gatward[17][18]TBAFall 2020[12] (Fall 2020[12])[13]TBD

Production

Development

On March 15, 2018, it was announced that Starz had greenlit the production. Emma Frost and Matthew Graham were set to serve as showrunners in addition to executive producing alongside Colin Callender, Scott Huff, Charlie Pattinson, and Charlie Hampton. Production companies involved with the series were expected to consist of All3 Media's New Pictures and Playground.[19]

On May 17, 2018, it was reported that the first two episodes of the series would be directed by Birgitte Stærmose and that other episodes in the series would be directed by women.[20]

It was announced on June 3, 2019, 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."[21] Part 2 is set to be broadcast in 2020, with stars Charlotte Hope and Ruairi O'Connor returning to the show as Catherine and Henry respectively,[22] "along with other key cast."[23] It was confirmed on June 9, 2019, by showrunner Emma Frost, that both Georgie Henley and Olly Rix, who portray Meg Tudor and Edward Stafford respectively, would return for the next eight episodes and that Meg 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."[24] Richard Pepper's agent confirmed on May 8, 2020, that he would return as Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Wiltshire.[25] 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 "We move around from France to England to Scotland a lot more and tell three interconnected stories."[13]

Casting

Alongside the directing announcement, it was confirmed that Charlotte Hope, Stephanie Levi-John, Angus Imrie, Harriet Walter, Laura Carmichael, Ruairi O'Connor, Georgie Henley, Elliot Cowan, Alexandra Moen, Philip Cumbus, Nadia Parkes, Aaron Cobham, Alan McKenna, Richard Pepper, Olly Rix, Jordan Renzo, Daniel Cerqueira, and Alicia Borrachero had been cast in the series.[20]

Filming

Principal photography for the series commenced on May 15, 2018, at Wells Cathedral in Wells, Somerset.[26]

Principal photography for part 2 commenced on September 26, 2019[10] and finished on March 11, 2020[27], one day before lockdown due to COVID-19. Some filming took place at Mendip Hills, which doubled for Flodden Field.

Release

On December 20, 2018, a "first look" still image from the series was released.[28] On January 25, 2019, a teaser trailer for the series was released.[29]

On March 7, 2019, the series was given a May 5, 2019, premiere date.[30] Part 2 will premiere in fall 2020.[13]

Reception

Critical response

The series received mixed to positive reviews in the United States. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, part one (or season 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."[31] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 73 out of 100 based on six critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[32]

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 [Catherine's] history."[33] The newspaper 20minutos and the TV guide by eldiario.es both call it "one of the worst shows about Spanish history."[34][35]

Ratings
Viewership and ratings per episode of The Spanish Princess
No. Title Air dateRating
(18–49)		Viewers
(millions)		DVR viewers
(millions)		Total viewers
(millions)
1 "The New World" May 5, 20190.10.393[1]N/AN/A
2 "Fever Dream" May 12, 20190.10.398[2]0.4640.862[36]
3 "An Audacious Plan" May 19, 20190.10.456[3]0.5030.959[37]
4 "The Battle for Harry" May 26, 20190.10.500[4]0.5561.056[38]
5 "Heart Versus Duty" June 2, 20190.10.546[5]0.5121.058[39]
6 "A Polite Kidnapping" June 9, 20190.10.493[6]N/AN/A
7 "All is Lost" June 16, 20190.10.509[7]0.5601.069[40]
8 "Destiny" June 23, 20190.10.528[8]0.4811.010[41]
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References
  1. Metcalf, Mitch (May 7, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.5.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  2. Metcalf, Mitch (May 14, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.12.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  3. Metcalf, Mitch (May 21, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.19.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  4. Metcalf, Mitch (May 29, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.26.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  5. Metcalf, Mitch (June 4, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.2.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  6. Metcalf, Mitch (June 11, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.9.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  7. Metcalf, Mitch (June 18, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.16.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  8. Metcalf, Mitch (June 25, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.23.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  9. @EmmaFrostLondon (June 25, 2019). "Tum ti tum..." (Tweet). Retrieved June 28, 2019 – via Twitter.
  10. Frost, Emma (September 26, 2019). "No Rest For The Royals". Twitter. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  11. Chanya Button, Director
  12. Expected between Tuesday, September 22nd and Monday, December 21, 2020 - The beginning and end of Fall, 2020 respectively.
  13. Lee Lenker, Maureen (May 7, 2020). "Get an exclusive first look at The Spanish Princess season 2". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  14. The teaser trailer for part 2 shows the coronation, which occurred in 1509.
  15. Lee Lenker, Maureen (June 24, 2019). "The Spanish Princess creators and star tease what's to come in season 2". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  16. Filming underway on The Spanish Princess II
  17. Rebecca Gatward - Independent Talent
  18. Delivery from Bristol: #thespanishprincess is very much wrapped!
  19. Petski, Denise (March 15, 2018). "Starz Greenlights The White Princess Followup Series The Spanish Princess". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  20. Petski, Denise (May 17, 2018). "The Spanish Princess: Charlotte Hope To Star In The White Princess Follow-Up On Starz". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  21. Lee Lenker, Maureen (June 24, 2019). "The Spanish Princess creators and star tease what's to come in season 2". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  22. Porter, Rick (3 June 2019). "The Spanish Princess extended by another eight episodes". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  23. Maas, Jennifer (3 June 2019). "The Spanish Princes extended by another eight episodes". TheWrap.com. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  24. "AfterBuzz TV Dramas Showrunners Emma Frost & Matthew Graham Guest on The Spanish Princess Season 1 Episode 6". YouTube. 9 June 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  25. Foster, James (May 8, 2020). "Richard Pepper to return as Thomas, Earl of Wiltshire". Twitter. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  26. Malloy, Tomas (May 15, 2018). "Photos show film crews invading Somerset town for new movie". Somerset Live. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  27. Frost, Emma (February 15, 2020). "Emma Frost's Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  28. Lee Lenker, Maureen (December 20, 2018). "Exclusive: Get your first look at Catherine of Aragon in 'The Spanish Princess'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  29. Kosin, Julie (January 25, 2019). "The First Trailer for 'The Spanish Princess' Is Here and It's Mesmerizing". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  30. Iannucci, Rebecca (March 7, 2019). "The Spanish Princess: Philippa Gregory Adaptation to Debut in May on Starz". TVLine.
  31. "The Spanish Princess: Season 1 (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  32. "The Spanish Princess". Metacritic. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  33. "Los errores históricos de «The Spanish Princess», la serie norteamericana que ridiculiza a Isabel la Católica". Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  34. "'The Spanish Princess': ¿la peor serie sobre la historia de España?". Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  35. "Las inexactitudes reinan en 'The Spanish Princess', "¿la peor serie sobre la historia de España?"" (in Spanish). Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  36. Welch, Alex (May 29, 2019). "'Game of Thrones' stays on top of the cable Live +7 ratings for May 6–12". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  37. Welch, Alex (June 6, 2019). "'Game of Thrones' finale tops 18-49 and viewer gains: Cable Live +7 ratings for May 13–19". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  38. Welch, Alex (June 13, 2019). "'Vanderpump Rules,' 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' get biggest boosts in cable Live +7 ratings for May 20–26". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  39. Welch, Alex (June 17, 2019). "'The Hot Zone' posts biggest viewer gains in the cable Live +7 ratings for May 27 – June 2". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  40. Welch, Alex (June 27, 2019). "'Big Little Lies' scores big gains in cable Live +7 ratings for June 10–16". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  41. Welch, Alex (July 9, 2019). "'Yellowstone' premiere doubles in cable Live +7 ratings for June 17–23". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
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