The White Princess

The White Princess

First UK edition cover
Author Philippa Gregory
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Series The Cousins' War
Genre Historical fiction
Publisher Simon & Schuster
Publication date
 1 August 2013
Media type
Pages 544
ISBN 978-0-85720-751-7
Preceded by The Kingmaker's Daughter
Followed by The King's Curse

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 mother of Henry VIII.[1][2]

In October 2013, The Telegraph reported that Starz is planning to develop a miniseries based on The White Princess.[3] This adaptation would be a sequel to The White Queen, a 10-part 2013 television series which adapted Gregory's novels The White Queen (2009), The Red Queen (2010) and The Kingmaker's Daughter (2012).[4]

Plot

Princess Elizabeth and her mother Elizabeth Woodville have survived the self-destruction of the Plantagenets. With her uncle and lover Richard III dead, young Elizabeth knows she must marry the new king Henry Tudor to ensure her family's safety. Henry and his scheming mother Margaret Beaufort know this match will secure his own claim and effectively end the Wars of the Roses. But the secret knowledge that her brother Richard, the York heir to the throne, is alive somewhere puts Elizabeth in a difficult position.

Critical reception

In 2013, Helen Brown of The Telegraph wrote that "with The White Princess, [Gregory] makes a psychologically involving page-turner of the reign that Shakespeare skipped." Of Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret Beaufort, the title characters of Gregory's The White Queen (2009) and The Red Queen (2010) respectively, Brown wrote, "it’s good to have them back." She also praised the novel's support of the controversial theory that Elizabeth of York's brother Richard survived his imprisonment in the Tower of London.[1] Publishers Weekly noted, "Gregory believably depicts this mostly forgotten queen, her moody husband, and the future Henry VIII, shown here as a charmingly temperamental child. Something about the Tudors brings out the best in Gregory’s portraiture."[5]

AudioFile magazine gave its Earphones Award to the audiobook recording of The White Princess, calling the novel "thrilling" and "richly imagined" and noting that "Philippa Gregory and [narrator] Bianca Amato have another winner."[6]

Proposed adaptation

In October 2013, The Telegraph reported that Starz is planning to develop a miniseries based on The White Princess.[3] Starz CEO Chris Albrecht announced in January 2014 that the network was working with White Queen screenwriter Emma Frost on the project.[7] This adaptation would be a sequel to The White Queen, a 10-part 2013 television series which adapted Gregory's novels The White Queen (2009), The Red Queen (2010) and The Kingmaker's Daughter (2012).[4] The White Queen was broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom and on Starz in the United States, and featured Freya Mavor as a young Elizabeth of York.[4] Starz would produce the White Princess miniseries without involvement from the BBC.[7]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Brown, Helen (1 August 2013). "The White Princess by Philippa Gregory: Review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  2. ↑ "The White Princess (Official site)". PhilippaGregory.com. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Walker, Tim (17 October 2013). "The White Queen is to make a comeback". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "BBC – Media Centre: The White Queen, a new ten-part drama for BBC One". BBC.co.uk. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  5. ↑ "The White Princess". Publishers Weekly. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  6. ↑ "Audiobook Review: The White Princess (2013)". AudioFile. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Andreeva, Nellie (10 January 2014). "TCA: Starz’s Chris Albrecht On 2014 Plans, White Queen Sequel, Magic City Demise". Deadline.com. Retrieved 8 December 2014.

External links