Is The Spanish Princess Historically Accurate?

Mostly yes…with a flair for dramatization and some artistic license. The Spanish Princess is based off of the historical fiction novels of Philippa Gregory, who is considered the “queen of British historical fiction.” So, while some aspects of the series are fictionalized and dramatized, The Spanish Princess is very much based on the real life events of Catherine of Aragon, her ladies in waiting and the tumultuous Tudor court.

Fact: Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of Spanish royals, Isabella and Ferdinand, once widowed, married her first husband’s brother, Prince (later King) Henry VIII (yes, that infamous King Henry VIII).

Fiction: Contrary to the popular historical myth and though one of our favorite heroine moments in The Spanish Princess, Catherine did not ride in armor into battle against the Scots.She did, however, serve as Regent of England while Henry was in France in 1513.

Fact: Catherine of Aragon was pregnant six times and had many miscarriages, stillbirths and children who died in infancy, with only one child surviving until adulthood, Mary.

Fiction: While one of Catherine of Aragon’s ladies in waiting was a Moorish woman (a Spanish woman of African descent), her name wasn’t Lena (and her husband, though also Moorish, wasn’t named Oviedo). Her name was Catalina de Cordones.

Fact: Catherine of Aragon fights to save her marriage in real life and in the novel. With no male heir, King Henry VIII turns to one of Catherine’s ladies in waiting, Anne Boleyn, who becomes his second wife in a series of events that leads to the Protestant Reformation.

Craving more historical drama, romance, and the fight of a lifetime? Catch up on Part 1 of The Spanish Princess today before the Part 2 premiere on October 11th at midnight on the STARZ App!