Are The White Princess and The Spanish Princess connected?

Yes, The White Princess and The Spanish Princess are directly connected as part of a historical drama series trilogy on Starz.

A Royal Lineage of Storytelling

The Spanish Princess serves as a direct continuation of the narrative established in The White Princess. This connection was officially announced by Starz on March 15, 2018, confirming its role as the next chapter in their historical drama lineup. Both series, along with their predecessor The White Queen, are adaptations of the bestselling historical novels by Philippa Gregory, tracing the lives of powerful women in the English royal court during the tumultuous late 15th and early 16th centuries.

How the Series Connect

The connection between The White Princess and The Spanish Princess is multifaceted and intentional:

• Chronological Progression: The Spanish Princess picks up the historical timeline and narrative threads directly where The White Princess concludes, chronicling the subsequent generation of royalty.
• Shared Universe: Both miniseries are set within the same fictionalized historical universe, portraying interconnected events and featuring characters whose lives are intertwined. Many characters from The White Princess (like King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York) are the parents or in-laws of the central figures in The Spanish Princess.
• Consistent Source Material: As adaptations of Philippa Gregory's novels, both series maintain a consistent historical scope, narrative style, and thematic focus on the lives and struggles of royal women. The Spanish Princess specifically draws from Gregory's novels The Constant Princess and The King's Curse, which directly follow the events of The White Princess.
• Network and Production: Both were produced and aired by the same network, Starz, ensuring a cohesive look, feel, and production quality across the interconnected historical dramas.

The Narrative Progression

The White Princess primarily focuses on the life of Elizabeth of York, the daughter of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. It explores her arranged marriage to King Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch, which symbolically united the warring Houses of York and Lancaster and helped bring an end to the Wars of the Roses.

The Spanish Princess then shifts its focus to Elizabeth of York's daughter-in-law, Catherine of Aragon. The series explores her arrival in England as a young Spanish princess, her brief marriage to Henry VII's eldest son, Arthur Tudor, and subsequently her controversial marriage to his younger brother, the future King Henry VIII. This narrative directly follows and builds upon the historical and familial foundations laid out in The White Princess.

Series Overview

To illustrate the connection and progression, here's a brief overview of the Starz historical drama series based on Philippa Gregory's novels:

This progression allows viewers to follow the tumultuous history of the English monarchy through the eyes of the women who influenced and shaped it, creating a rich and interconnected saga.

For more information, you can explore the series' details on The White Princess Wikipedia page.