Starz confirmed that filming is now underway on The White Princess, the highly anticipated sequel to The White Queen. The series is based on Philippa Gregory’s novel which is part of her The Cousins’ War series of books. According to Starz, season two will consist of eight episodes with The White Queen‘s Emma Frost returning as writer, showrunner, and executive producer. Jamie Payne returns to the franchise as director and producer of The White Queen sequel.
In addition to announcing the start of production in Bristol, Starz released the first official behind the scenes photo from The White Princess and revealed new cast details. Here’s the cast list as announced by Starz:
- Jacob Collins-Levy is playing Henry VII, the paranoid and unlikely king forced to marry an enemy to secure his throne.
- Jodie Comer will play Princess Elizabeth, daughter of the rival House of York.
- Princess Elizabeth’s mother Dowager Queen Elizabeth “The White Queen,” indomitable strategist and unwavering supporter of the York cause, is played by Essie Davis. Even after the death of her husband King Edward IV and the fall of her House from the throne, Elizabeth’s faith in York’s eventual return to power is sustained by the boy she believes to be Prince Richard – her last surviving son and the only genuine challenge to King Henry’s royal claim. Loyalties blur and families find themselves on opposing sides as the House of Tudor tries to cement its rule over an increasingly fragmented empire, where loyalty is a scarce commodity and the fear of betrayal is ever-present.
- Joanne Whalley is the widowed Duchess of Burgundy, Elizabeth of York’s aunt, and sister to dead kings Richard III and Edward IV of England – a sensual, intelligent York woman who presides over her cultured court across the English Channel.
- Michelle Fairley will play the role of Margaret Beaufort, Henry VII’s mother who was a philanthropist, benefactor for the Church, and the calculating mastermind behind Henry’s ascent to the Throne of England. Margaret understands that winning the throne and keeping it safe for the Tudor line are two different things, and works to fortify King Henry’s rule, as York rivals continue to plot against them.
- Suki Waterhouse is playing Cecily of York, the self-interested and jealous younger sister to Princess Elizabeth.
- Cousin Margaret Plantagenet – reluctant member of the York clan because of the precarious political position it puts her and her brother in at the Tudor court – is played by Rebecca Benson.
- The cast also includes Rhys Connah as Teddy, Caroline Goodall as Duchess Cecily, Kenneth Cranham as Bishop Morton, and Vincent Regan as Jasper Tudor.
The Plot: The White Princess concludes the story of England’s War of the Roses and charts the rise of the House of Tudor through the tempestuous marriage between Princess Elizabeth of York and King Henry VII. The year is 1485 and Princess Elizabeth, daughter of “The White Queen,” has been pledged in marriage to the newly anointed King Henry VII in hopes that it will bring peace to a war-torn country. England is united, but their marriage is soon divided, as rumors circulate that Elizabeth’s long-lost brother Prince Richard is alive and planning to take the throne. Now she must choose between Tudor wife and York princess, between her new husband and the boy who claims to be her own blood and the true heir to the crown. “The White Princess” tells the story of one of the most fascinating periods of British history uniquely from the women’s point of view.
