The White Queen

You are a girl from the House of Lancaster,

and you live in a country that is divided.

You may not fall in love with a York king

unless there is some profit in it for you.

Will you marry me?

Yes.

Warwick is the Kingmaker,

you can be very sure he will make the queen as well.

She's my queen of choice and I... Of choice?! Have you gone mad?

He is a pretender. He has taken the throne by force.

He is the king and those who speak against him are guilty of treason.

Now, let us make a son, to scotch the Lancastrian threat.

It is an honour to meet you, Duchess Cecily.

I am not happy about this marriage.

I could put his brother, George, upon the throne in his place.

The King has done what he should not.

Elizabeth.

There are many who will be cursing our luck and wishing us to fall.

So, our new queen is not only Lancastrian

but now we have half of Burgundy out in force.

Why?

Because she is related to them!

But, Issy, we like her better than the old bad queen, don't we?

And now we must crown her before her belly grows too fat.

Elizabeth.

Are you afraid?

Edward will help me know what to do.

They say the whole of London will be out.

Except one.

Edward's mother has refused to come.

I don't think you'll miss her.

It's one less foot to trip me up!

Lord Warwick.

Is the woman dressed and ready?

She's not made queen yet.

My new sister.

You're as beautiful as a queen should be.

I pray your child is a son, so he may follow my brother on his throne.

Thank you, Richard. George.

I am very grateful for your kinship.

Where... Where's Edward?

At the Abbey.

He is to watch the coronation from behind a screen, as is the custom.

My daughters will escort you.

They have been trained for such occasions.

The Queen has her own sisters to attend her.

Your daughters may join in the procession behind us.

Hold your head high, Elizabeth.

God has chosen you in this

and your brothers and I will be with you every step of the way.

But now, you are holding my arm too tightly and I may faint.

You may not faint because I need you.

You will always be my Elizabeth.

I am so very proud of you.

Anne, you goose! Stop staring like an idiot!

She is so beautiful.

Yes, but the King should have married the French princess

as Father had arranged.

Just play your part.

It will not be for very long.

God save the Queen!

Elizabeth!

Elizabeth!

That isn't mother.

It's her, Richard.

She's just in her coronation robes, that's all. Oh.

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

Wherefore, all you who are come this day

to do your homage and service,

are you willing to do the same?

God save the Queen!

Let the anointing of this oil

increase your honour

and establish you for ever.

God save the Queen!

We offer up the sceptres and the ring,

to our one and mighty queen.

God save the Queen!

Mother! Mother!

Oh, my boys!

Are you Queen now, Mother?

Yes, Richard. But before that, I shall always be your mother.

May we sit with you at dinner?

I'm sorry, not today.

But later, I shall come and see you both to bed myself.

Queen Elizabeth?

Your court awaits.

You all look so very similar, you Rivers girls.

You look like beautiful fish!

I'm not sure I should like to be a fish! Hello.

George does try to be so charming but he doesn't always get it right!

Last time we saw you, Richard,

you fell off your horse at our father's castle, do you remember?

Our father taught King Edward and put him on the throne

and so now, King Edward must...

What?

So he did, and Edward loves him for it.

There's a seat here, Anne, if you'd like it.

Lords and Ladies of the court,

Queen Elizabeth of England.

I did not think it would be this grand, Edward.

It is to silence those who say that our marriage is not valid.

Who?! Who says that it is not?

Ah!

Your mother?

The people were denied a royal wedding.

And so we have given them

a coronation worthy of the Lord himself.

She does not even know how to behave!

How would you behave if you were queen?

Not like that!

I would not whisper with the King!

I would be a queen of stone.

I would have dignity and no emotion.

She doesn't even seem ashamed!

Desperate for this banquet to end...

Edward, you must attend to the peace treaty with France.

I have kept it from your door this week as much as I could but,

now that Charles of Burgundy has been befriended

and France has been left out,

it cannot wait.

I will attend to it tomorrow.

But now, cousin, feast with us,

for we have won everything that we set out to

and I wish to see you happy.

How is it that I've allowed you to wear so many clothes?

I cannot think.

What's the point of being king if I cannot keep you naked all day long?

We shall have to change this room, Edward.

It's too odd to have Margaret of Anjou's things about us.

Change it as you wish.

Shall we be safe, you and I, upon our thrones?

While Henry is at large, there's always a chance

of a Lancastrian uprising to put him back on the throne.

Or his son, Edward.

But when we have our son, we will be safe, for we will have an heir.

And your own men, do you trust them?

Lord Warwick?

Him of all.

I know he's brusque and has found it hard to deal with our marriage

but he will learn to love you as I do.

He already does.

You should ask his girls to be your ladies!

Make them your favourites. It will please him.

And his agreement with France? Will you make that, too?

I'll decide tomorrow...

because now,

I cannot think at all.

Argh. Now what am I to do with these?

It's not as though Margaret of Anjou will return for them.

Mother!?

I never thought it would be me doing this.

I was her closest friend, when I was her lady at court.

But these are different times.

You are Queen of England now

and you will never make the same mistakes that she did.

I cannot burn it or they'll strangle us for witches.

That is interesting, Baron Rivers.

Your advice may well be worth thinking about.

We are here to serve you, Your Grace.

Edward?

We'll meet soon.

My lord.

I've drafted out the terms

of England's peace treaty with France as discussed

and the French Ambassador's confirmed

he will be able to attend the autumn hunt, where both parties can sign.

There's no hurry, Warwick.

There are some other players in the game who I may speak to.

Other...?

I've invited Burgundy, as well.

You've invited the enemy of France?

I wish for them

to lift their restrictions on the sale of English cloth,

and they are my wife's own relatives,

so I can hardly leave them out.

Lord Warwick?

I know that I was not your choice of wife and queen for Edward.

But I hope that we may join in friendship as we share love for him.

You hope for that, Your Grace?

And also that your daughters will join my household as my ladies?

Burn her.

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

and rule England through him.

We've no need for scheming women.

I know your loyalty to Warwick,

but surely, if he's gone this far already, Edward...

Edward?

Your father and brothers have just told me

that Warwick has a secret deal with the King of France.

Louis has promised him a territory

in exchange for my alliance with France.

Now, this was once dependent upon me marrying the Princess Bona

but now rides upon this so-called peace treaty.

So, Warwick is plotting against you.

Not so much against me as... for himself.

But he should not have kept it from me.

So I shall treaty with the side I think is most useful.

He does not see Warwick's danger. Even now.

He's clouded by how much he loves him.