The Spanish Princess

Lavishly produced, very well acted and generally quite entertaining, but I did think the Spanish Princess drifted into soap opera a little too often. Massive liberties taken with history, but we should all know by now that any show "based on historical events" is just that - most of the people existed, some of the things happened, but most of it is pure fiction. Still, I often find these kinds of shows interesting because they lure me into checking the historical facts, which is educational. I was surprised to find, for instance, that Catherine actually did have a black woman as one of her retinue of 'ladies'.

The White Queen was very lurid but it was entertaining.

The White Princess was very lurid and it was NOT entertaining.

The Spanish Princess, well . . . . At least Catharine has red hair.

This review comes after only the first 3 episodes. I was excited at the prospect of seeing the story of Catherine of Aragon, which usually is only a sideline to the story of Henry VIII and his six wives. Now, I'm aware that historical dramas cannot be totally factual in every way for good reason, but I find it disconcerting to twist what is known to be true in a massive way. In just 3 episodes I have witnessed countless discrepancies that are just too glaring to be ignored. Most egregious is portraying Henry, Arthur's much younger brother, as being the same age as he and Catherine. I think I understand their reasoning, but it cuts down my star rating (among other glaring mistakes) by quite a bit. I watch historical pieces for the history as much as the drama. And really, this story has plenty of real-life drama which doesn't need made up stuff to be interesting. Hopefully the rest of this series won't be as big a disappointment, since I intend to keep watching anyway.

Like the other Starz shows, The White Princess & The White Queen, this production is lavish and high in value. It is undoubtedly cleaner than the real 16th Century world but has the feeling of authenticity about it.

There are some horrendous historical liberties taken by the producers. Arthur & Catherine were 15 when they married. Arthur died before his 16th birthday. Henry was 10, going on 11, over the 6 months of Catherine's marriage. Given most of the series is about Henry & Catherine's relationship the producers saw fit to make Henry & Arthur a similar age, maybe 18 & 19, respectively. Fair enough, but it does ensure a divergence from the historical facts, which is a pity.

The other and maybe more relevant fact is why Catherine was chosen to be the wife of the English heir male. She was descended from the legitimate English Lancastrian line via her mother. She had a stronger claim to the English throne than Henry VII, who was descended from an illigitimate Lancastrian line. The male offspring of Catherine would legitimise the Tudor dynasty. For this reason Henry VII, his wife & his mother would be moving heaven & earth to keep Catherine in England. Indeed, she became a virtual prisoner of the English crown for 7 years before she married her brother in law, the young Henry.

Overall, the historical costume drama is enjoyable enough and given it's only 10 episodes makes it easy enough to watch.

If you know absolutely nothing of this era, this is your show. If you do, you must ignore the very obvious historical inconsistencies.

Honestly, why? They have the money. The history is very interesting on its own. I am so disappointed, Catherine of Aragon deserved better.