Rent The Spanish Princess: Series 1 (2019)

Atmostpheric and entertaining - The Spanish Princess: Series 1 review by NS

Great costumes, entertaining storylines no doubt a few enhancements on what we know happened. Engaging actors.Enjoyed this more than I thought I would it really brought the period to life.

Historical Liberties - The Spanish Princess: Series 1 review by Peter B

Good series and worth watching to stimulate interest in the period and by far the most worthy of Henry's wives. Unfortunately if you like your period drama accurate then this series may irritate. Philippa Gregory takes great liberties with historical accuracy. It is well acted though, particularly Catherine of Aragon. Pleasing few hours of entertainment.

Don't hope for too much - The Spanish Princess: Series 1 review by SB

This review refers to Series 1 only, which takes the story of Catherine of Aragon from her jourrney to England to marry the ill-fated Arthur, Prince of Wales in 1501, to the accession of his younger brother Henry VIII and their marriage, in 1509. I don't think I can bear to watch Series 2.

Philippa Gregory, the author of the source novels, is notorious for her historical inaccuracy, and when film producers get their hands on this material, things get worse. So do not look for the truth here. Perhaps the biggest howler is the initial presentation of 'Prince Harry' as a strapping and lustful young man already taller than his elder brother, and clearly interested in Catherine. In reality, Henry was only ten years old when Catherine's marriage to Arthur took place, and a good deal of nonsense springs from this deliberate falsification.

Other problems are many. For example, the constant harping on about England's poverty (it was certainly poorer than the European powers, but under Henry VII had become much more financially stable); the presentation of Henry VII, arguably England's best ever monarch, as a querulous indecisive man dependent on his wife Elizabeth and his mother; and the clear implication that Catherine lied about the consummation of her first marriage. The marriage of Margaret Tudor, Henry VII's elder daughter, to the King of Scotland, is depicted with political correctness rather than accuracy, in particular in the way she is shown as being treated by her parents. And it then promptly disappears from any mention.

Episodes 5-7 are an improvement on what has gone before and are quite interetsing, except that too much screen time is given to Catherine's ladies, probably to pad out the lack of dramatic material in the main story. And even in these there are one or two things which stretch credulity - for example, Catherine and one of her ladies ride unaccompanied to Margaret Pole's home in the West Country....not only would they have had absolutely no idea how to find their way there, they would also have been in enormous danger. Instead they are seen having a meal on the grass outside a pub on the way back.....

Episode 8, showing the death of Henry VII and its consequences, descends into farce.

The scenic and costume design are satisfactory, and some of the performances are good, including Charlotte Hope as Catherine (she looks the part, as Catherine was not dark haired, as sometimes portrayed in films), and especially Harriet Walter as Margaret Beaufort, the very strong-minded mother of Henry VII. Laura Carmichael is somewhat irritating in the over-inflated role of Margaret Pole (though one has to blame the script for some of this). Alba Galocha is eye-catching as Catherine's unstable elder sister Joanna. The supporting cast is mostly fine, except for the insult dealt to the Moors by deliberately casting actors who are not Arabic/North African in origin as Catherine's Moorish attendants and guards.