Starz announced today production has commenced on their limited series, The Spanish Princess, with Charlotte Hope (Game of Thrones) cast in the lead role as Catherine of Aragon. The Spanish Princess serves as the third installment following the Golden Globe and Emmy Award-nominated Starz miniseries The White Queen and their critically-acclaimed limited series The White Princess.
Produced by Playground and All3 Media’s New Pictures, the The Spanish Princess is drawn from the global best-selling novels, The Constant Princess and The King’s Curse, written by Philippa Gregory. Returning to the world of Tudor royal court intrigue, The Spanish Princess is a powerful and epic story told uniquely from the point of view of the women, which also sheds light on a previously untold corner of history: the lives of people of color, living and working in 16th century London.
Acclaimed writer Emma Frost returns (The White Queen, The White Princess, The Man in the High Castle), along with the award-winning writer Matthew Graham (Life on Mars, Dr. Who), both serving as showrunners and executive producers. The first two episodes will be directed by Birgitte Stærmose (Norskov, Darling), as one of an all-female directing line-up.
Hope is perhaps best known for her role as Myranda in the HBO series Game of Thrones, and she recently appeared on ITV’s popular series Endeavor. On the feature side, Hope can currently be seen in Jon Avnet’s Three Christs, co-starring alongside Richard Gere and Peter Dinklage which premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Her other work includes Robert Zemeckis’ Allied, James Marsh’s The Theory of Everything, and Ralph Fiennes’ The Invisible Woman, among others. Alongside Hope, Stephanie Levi-John (Top Boy, Youngers) will star as Catherine’s lady-in-waiting and confidante, Lina de Cardonnes
Promised in marriage to the future King of England Prince Arthur, played by Angus Imrie, Catherine is the source of curiosity, resentment and suspicion among her new family; the formidable Margaret Beaufort played by Dame Harriet Walter, Laura Carmichael as Arthur’s guardian Margaret Pole, Ruairi O’Connor in the role of Arthur’s charismatic brother Prince Harry (who will become King Henry VIII), alongside his sister Margaret Tudor played by Georgie Henley with Elliot Cowan as King Henry Tudor and Alexandra Moen as Queen Elizabeth. Philip Cumbus is Thomas Wolsey. When Prince Arthur dies shortly after their wedding, Catherine finds her future as Queen in question and at the mercy of a divided Tudor court under the threat of enemies both abroad and closer to home.
Also joining the cast are newcomer Nadia Parkes as Rosa, lady-in-waiting to Catherine; Aaron Cobham as a young soldier of the Spanish court, Oviedo; Alan McKenna as Tudor noble Richard Pole; Richard Pepper as Thomas, Earl of Wiltshire; Olly Rix as Edward Stafford; and Jordan Renzo as Charlie Brandon. Daniel Cerqueira plays De Fuensalida, ambassador to England and loyal servant of Spanish Queen Isabella, played by Alicia Borrachero.
Executive producing with Frost and Graham are Colin Callender (The White Queen, The Dresser, Wolf Hall) and Scott Huff (Howards End, The White Princess, The Missing) from Playground and Charlie Pattinson (The White Queen, Requiem) and Charlie Hampton (Shameless, Wild at Heart) from All3 Media’s New Pictures.
