The White Queen

'I here present unto you, Queen Elizabeth, your undoubted queen.'

We'll have no truck with a queen who thought to rule her husband

and rule England through him.

My Lords! Our one-time king, Henry, and now, our prisoner.

Your father is asking King Edward for the royal dukes,

his brothers, to be given in marriage to the two of you.

Give him something. But not this.

Warwick has betrayed me! And so has George!

For now I hear he has married Isabel against my clear command!

My wedding was never for me at all.

It was a sign from Father that men should rise against the King.

You will be King Henry Tudor of England.

Ignore what your mother just said, Henry, for it is treason

and she would surely lose her head for it.

Our father...and John... they're dead.

There was no charge, only the word of Warwick.

He's done it. Father has the King!

Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. I curse you.

By my will, you shall die.

There is no word?

Anthony and Richard have ridden north to test support for Warwick.

They may just be captured and meet the same fate as John and Father.

Please, Elizabeth, don't even say that! How can I help it?

Mad King Henry is safe and in comfort

but what are they doing to Edward?

What are they doing to him, right now, Mother, as I stand here?

I need him back with me.

"Advise me", Warwick?!

Not lock me up or take away my throne,

but, no, you would "advise me"?! Edward, the council feels...

No, it doesn't!

The council feels nothing but what you tell it,

and you will turn them against me!

Edward, all we ask is that you take back your old advisors

and dismiss the Rivers family. Which you know I will never do!

So, the game is that you make demands on me

you know I cannot agree to, and use that as your excuse to keep me here

while George rules in my place!

But really, you rule through him.

Edward! The loyalty that we had to...

No! I am "Your Grace" to you, cousin!

The Lord's anointed king and ruler of this kingdom!

And Your Grace needs to understand that this is a betrayal

and that the Queen's family... Are loyal to me!

Which is more than can be said for you and George.

Now, where is the Queen

because if you have harmed a single hair upon her head...

She would have likely sent the Devil down upon me!

But she is barricaded in the Tower.

Now that, dear cousin,

is treason!

HE SIGHS

As is this.

But, if I must hold court at Warwick Castle,

then you may bring me some venison and some small ale

so I may eat at your expense as I run my kingdom!

Is that clear to you?

DOG YELPS Ssh...

Yes, and bring me brother George as I have words to say to him.

DOG BARKS AND YELPS

Ah! Brother George's new wife, Isabel,

married without my consent.

I do hope you're not expecting loyalty from him!

Will you get them in there! Go, go! EDWARD LAUGHS

She's not bled yet?

She's with child.

A wedding night child shows we have God's blessing.

Is it a boy? I... How would I know, Father?

I have called a Parliament at York

where we will proclaim George the king and Isabel his queen.

But, Father! I cannot! Be quiet, Isabel! It may as well be over with.

He knows full well what we're doing. You cannot turn back now.

You must stay your course come hell or glory.

But Parliament will never agree! They must!

The Rivers woman is so hated.

She has pushed aside your father

and every other noble advisor England ever had.

And in their place, put scum. You will not question me. Now get out!

(You may question him when you are queen... You may do then!)

Husband?

I have word from Jasper Tudor!

Jasper says that Parliament is sitting at York

and they will decide what to do with Edward!

They should just cut his head off.

Is that what you'd do, Margaret? Take a man's life so readily? Hmm?

He has gone against his rightful king and God. My Lord. Thank you.

I would do it myself if I were a man.

I would do it myself anyway, as Joan of Arc would have done.

Perhaps we should be grateful that it's not your choice to make.

It is not I who choose it, but the Lord.

He tells me of his will and I carry out his work.

He has ruled Edward should lose the throne,

and soon, he will reveal the way my son shall come upon it.

Or rather, you will decree

whatever action that you take to be God's will!

Jasper understands all of this. I did not imagine that you would!

Ah, yes, Jasper Tudor.

Does he share your blood-lust too, Margaret?

Would he lop off the head of a king ordained by God?

Jasper and I are one in all things.

No, not all, Margaret. You're not married to Jasper Tudor.

You are married to me.

George!

You coward! Come and face me like a man!

Don't hide behind our cousin, George!

Does our mother know about this?! Damn you, Edward!

I'll not allow that witch upon the throne,

and you've been no king since you first dipped your wick in her!

George? Off to Parliament, Warwick,

to try and force the crown on George's head?!

Issy! Look what they have sent for you!

It is her coronation furs. Elizabeth's!

They have taken them from the Palace of Westminster!

They still smell of her perfume.

Only kings and queens may wear this fur!

You shall be queen, Issy.

Aren't you happy?!

Father has done this for you, Isabel.

If he had done it for me, I'd be the happiest girl in England.

There are two queens already, Annie.

One is in exile the other is cowering in the Tower

with a price upon her head. I would be the third queen.

So, what if Father turns against us as he's done both the others?!

He will not turn against you.

You are carrying the prince, his grandson.

There is no-one else for Father now.

We all said that Edward was the rightful king.

We said that he was the Flower of York

and we would walk in the sweet garden of England with him.

We danced at her coronation. We said that we loved her.

You and I never said that, Issy,

we did not like her.

Not ever.

Father says we must think of her as our enemy and so we must.

Look how beautiful this is.

Remember when we used to play at being queen?

Well, you can be queen in real life. I don't want to be queen, Annie.

I thought that this marriage was for me. But it's not.

It's all for them.

We are their pieces on a board, Annie.

And marriage is a wretched thing.

It's not like it is for her.

We'll never be who she is.

We'll never have what she has.

My Lords! Parliament is called to order.

MUSIC DROWNS SPEECH

INDISTINCT MURMURING

..I shall be a strong leader. The whole country behind me...

INAUDIBLE

INAUDIBLE

INDISTINCT

..To turn against your own brother. The throne has the rightful king.

No crown, George?

You clearly couldn't command Parliament.

So, you must let me go, or you must kill me.

Because there is no other end to this.

George... George!

BOTH BREATHE HEAVILY

Take it off!

I SAID, "TAKE IT OFF"!

George will not be king. Parliament would not agree.

Your father has risked everything, and he has lost.

He has lost.

SHE GASPS

DOOR OPENS

Welcome home. King Edward! King Edward!

They lost their nerve.

George said he would behead me, but of course, he would not dare.

Not even Warwick has the stomach for that!

He thought I was still that boy that he could control.

He tried to make me give you up but I told him

that I would happily stay in his house for ever,

but never would I give up my wife nor who I am.

They are fools to think it. So, he just released you?

Parliament wouldn't declare for George and make him king,

so if Edward wouldn't abdicate and they wouldn't kill him...

Warwick let me out for exercise, so he could save his pride.

But really, he just let him go.

And now he will be sorry.

You know about my brother John, and Father?

So, they will pay for it.

You won't like it, but they won't.

We must have peace, Elizabeth.

And I was a fool not to see that I had shut Lord Warwick out.

But he knows that he has lost

and he will beg for my forgiveness as will George.

You must not give it! I will.

They are my brother and my cousin.

And this country cannot stand another war,

especially one within this family.

And I will make Warwick's nephew Duke of Bedford.

My first husband's title?

He's Warwick's heir and I must give him some stake in staying loyal.

He is a traitor.

I don't care what his nephew gets, as long as you execute Warwick!

I can't, my love. And I won't.

And what is more, I will give our daughter, Elizabeth,

to young Bedford in marriage to make that alliance firm.

Over my dead body!

We must. For then even Warwick will have a chance of his blood