The White Princess (2017) s01e05 Episode Script

1 MAGGIE: Previously on The White Princess This one looks most like Teddy.
Now tell me your name.
Teddy.
I am the rightful King of England.
KING HENRY TUDOR: His name is Lambert Simnel.
Routing his army has caused grave injury to my uncle.
It is a shame you didn't marry Jasper.
Jasper is the man you love.
Might we not cherish something for ourselves? I have found a wife for you.
Kate Woodville.
The Dowager Queen's sister.
ELIZABETH: "When you were first with child, with Arthur", "I knew then that he'd never be the king.
" CECILY: What does she say? She says he will not be king.
She is wishing him to die They killed one of the brothers.
Richard escaped, now we don't know where he is.
WOMAN: We have a guest.
Is it really you? Our lost York Prince.
[laughing.]
[theme music playing.]
DUCHESS OF BURGUNDY: "My dear Elizabeth.
" "I write with news of our success," "both here in Burgundy and beyond.
" "I have received word from the Doge of Venice," "who will publicly declare his support for your son, Prince Richard.
" "All over Christendom, people sing songs of his return.
" "Of a handsome York prince with golden hair.
" "Our friends in Europe are many.
" "For seven years they have written to tell me of their love for Richard.
" "Your son's cause grows stronger every day.
" "Soon he will be ready to come against Henry.
" "He will be restored and take his rightful position" "as King of England.
" [indistinct chattering.]
[footsteps approaching.]
Another letter for the Dowager York Queen Elizabeth.
I almost forgot to invite the King.
[scattered chatter.]
[scoffs.]
What is it? The Duchess writes on behalf of so-called "Prince Richard.
" Inviting the Queen and I to be her guests at court.
- She is shameless.
- You must refuse.
KING HENRY TUDOR: Must I? And here I was thinking what a pleasant trip it might be.
Prince Richard? The whole world knows he died in the Tower years ago.
- The Duchess is either mad or a fool - She's neither.
Of course she knows the boy is an imposter.
Like the last.
What does it matter if she is able to convince people otherwise? The people of England support you.
[sighs.]
Do not doubt that.
[clears throat.]
There are rumors, Your Grace, of Nobles in the southern counties planning to flee to Burgundy.
We shall close the ports SIR WILLIAM: [scoffs.]
And stop all trade.
All legitimate travel because of a rumor? England would be up in arms.
I agree.
It is too drastic.
The world would think I acted out of fear.
How will you respond? [child laughing.]
[laughing.]
[child squealing.]
Ah! A letter has just arrived from the King.
- We are summoned to court.
- For what reason? RICHARD POLE: It doesn't say.
What do you think it could be? [exclaims.]
I couldn't begin to guess.
But we must leave right away.
Must I go? Maggie.
We are the King's loyal servants.
Of course.
It's just so peaceful here.
Hey.
It's a trip to court for us, young man.
At least it means we can visit Teddy.
Right then, young man.
Race me to the house.
[laughing.]
RICHARD POLE: Here, Teddy.
Books, ink and parchment.
And best of all, cheese from our own cows.
MAGGIE: Teddy? Teddy.
Little Henry needs a cuddle from his uncle.
You shouldn't have called him Henry.
[whimpers.]
The Duchess of Burgundy has invited me to be a guest at her court.
I have decided that I shall send you in my stead.
RICHARD POLE: Of course, Your Grace.
I would be honored to do No.
I meant your wife, My Lady Pole.
Me, Your Grace? KING HENRY TUDOR: The two of you together.
But, Your Grace, I've never met my cousin Richard.
Surely you would recognize your own kin, would you not? Who better to expose this boy as a pretender than his own cousin? KING HENRY TUDOR: How do you respond, My Lady? [children laughing.]
The princes and princess have missed their cousin.
As I have missed mine.
All is well in Wales? A Tudor husband is not so horrible after all.
I do not think of us as York or Tudor.
We are a family.
A happy one.
Or would be, if my brother could be with us.
[chuckles.]
And you? Here? With the King? Every day he puts a fresh red rose and white rose into the Queen's rooms for me.
Much has changed between us.
Ours too is now a happy union.
Please don't be nervous, Maggie.
The Duchess may be persuasive to some, but she has proved she will stop at nothing to bring an imposter against my husband.
I am pleased the King has so much faith in me.
If you have any doubts you must raise them only to me.
Do you think it could be him? Your brother? My mother has clearly told the Duchess of Richard's escape.
Make no mistake, she is the architect of all of this, It is just another urchin our aunt has plucked from the street and dressed up as a prince.
Richard was my brother.
And I miss him every day.
But that boy is not him.
And Henry must never know of Richard's escape.
For his sake and for ours.
I will do my duty to the King.
Good.
Come.
[children laughing.]
We will be back before you know it.
You will be safe here at the palace.
He will be well.
You mustn't worry.
[grunts.]
God speed.
Are you certain you can trust Lady Pole? These women are Yorks, Henry.
Never forget that.
Her son is here at Westminster.
And her brother in the Tower.
We can trust her.
The King has spoken.
MARGARET: Your brother was rude to me today.
You hear me? I don't appreciate his tone.
Don't be so sensitive, Margaret.
MARGARET: I will not have him jibe at me.
Take him in hand.
I will not lecture the man whose army secured the Battle of Bosworth for Henry, on decorum.
You would have me believe that that was an act of selflessness? It would be the Stanleys' first and last.
I suppose we should look to you as our model for that particular virtue? I am selfless.
My only interest is the will of God.
How fortunate his will is so often in tune with yours.
What do you mean? His will to place you here as Mother of the King knows no bounds.
He ordered the murder of two small boys in your cause, did he not? - Lizzie.
- Lady Mother.
Have I not been a loving and dutiful daughter to you? You have.
Have I not visited and cared for you these past years? Forgiven you for the lies that you have told me? It seems something upsets you.
Of what am I accused now? You must put a stop to this.
You think I do not know that you are plotting with the Duchess? Believe me.
Your aunt needs no help.
[sighing.]
I do not want to read this.
News of your brother's health and success do not please you? [coughing.]
[breathing deeply.]
This boy Is every bit as fraudulent as the last one my aunt sent to claim the throne.
This boy is Richard.
You cannot know that.
He is your brother and the rightful King of England.
You put me on the throne with Henry.
You made me a Tudor Queen.
I made you a York Queen.
And now you would just take that from me? Is the truth you have always loved my brother more than me? Oh, Lizzie.
I have loved you with all my heart for all of your life.
No one is closer.
[coughing.]
[exhales.]
I am old.
[sniffles.]
I am fading.
I should be with my eldest girl as I live out my days.
Your sisters have all gone off to their own husbands and families.
I should be with you.
But Henry would never allow that.
I love you, Lizzie.
Henry will do anything I ask of him.
He loves me, Mother.
And I love him.
[water running.]
Your Grace.
It is my hope that your closeness to your daughter will speed your return to health.
Thank you for your kindness.
I will visit you later.
[coughing.]
Your Grace.
We intercepted these at Greenwich.
Signed and sealed by English Lords.
addressed to the Duchess of Burgundy, pledging their support for the so-called "York boy.
" Well? My men will make arrests.
We should have acted sooner.
A handful of traitors does not make a rebellion.
Not yet.
The letters.
How do they name me? Go on.
- Your Grace - Go on.
Henry the Pretender, Your Grace.
And him? Prince Richard, Duke of York.
Our son, Prince Harry is the Duke of York.
Ennoble him.
Give people their rightful Duke.
Let us celebrate our strength.
The Queen is right.
We will make Prince Harry a Duke, and when Lady Pole returns from Burgundy, she will denounce the boy publicly.
Very well.
Make plans.
Do not arrest the traitors yet, I have A different thought of how to deal with it.
[horses snorting.]
Duchess.
Aunt.
Lady Grandmother.
[inhales, exhales.]
Such a pity the King and Queen could not join us.
But it is a pleasure to welcome my niece and her husband to court.
We thank you for your hospitality, My Lady.
Prince Richard is very much looking forward to seeing his cousin.
I understand you will miss the young Duke's ennobling.
Such a strange event given that the title is already taken.
Forgive me.
I merely tease.
It's been a long journey.
Let's allow our guests to settle into their rooms.
Of course.
And later you will meet the Prince.
Lady Grandmother, perhaps you might show me the grounds first? It is a pleasure to have you here, Maggie.
I did not think to see you in Burgundy.
No, nor would I be, but the King requested it.
Tell me about your own family.
Your son? - Little Henry.
- Mmm-hmm? - He is five.
- Oh! A precious age.
Hold him close.
I would so love for you to meet him, Lady Grandmother.
Well, I will not return to England.
Not while Henry Tudor's on the throne.
But, if your aunt has her way we will all be restored by Richard.
You are convinced it is him, then? And you are here to prove he is another imposter, of course? Another peasant picked from the fields? - Hmm? - DUCHESS: Cathy! It makes me joyful every day to see you in my gardens.
It is my joy.
Who's that? Lady Cathy Gordon.
Cousin to King James of Scotland.
A little older than the Prince But as I said.
Your aunt is never at a loss for schemes to occupy her.
[indistinct chatter.]
My Lady Margaret.
I should have guessed that your idea would be the same as mine.
To make all this Perfect for our boy.
Our beloved Harry.
You have been a grandfather to him in every way that matters.
And father to my son.
[exhales.]
You have given so much for him.
I regret no injury sustained in the service of my King.
You are happy, Jasper, aren't you? Your York wife makes you glad? JASPER: She is kind.
And caring.
[cutlery clattering.]
She is patient with me.
Then I am glad too, Jasper.
We will always both share Henry.
My Lord.
My Lady.
My Lady, the King's Mother.
[exhales.]
We shall see you at the banquet.
Come, Kate.
[sighs.]
[tolling.]
Prince Henry of England.
I name you Duke of York.
[bell tolling.]
[laughter.]
[folk music playing.]
[indistinct chattering.]
WOMAN: Duchess, you put on quite the spectacle.
[laughter.]
Ah, here he comes! Prince Richard, Duke of York.
Today we welcome guests from England.
Sir Richard Pole.
And Margaret Pole, your cousin.
Welcome, cousin.
Sir Richard.
Come, Maggie.
Come and sit next to your cousin so you can speak freely.
If it pleases my cousin, then I can think of nothing that I would enjoy more.
[bell tolling.]
Today, Prince Henry was ennobled.
[bell tolling.]
KING HENRY TUDOR: Our road to this moment has not been an easy one.
But we gather today secure.
We have two sons and our line is strong.
A toast.
To my son.
The Duke of York.
ALL: The Duke of York.
ELIZABETH: I would also like to propose a toast to the Duke of York.
My son, Prince Richard, who is alive and well in Burgundy MAN: Remove her ELIZABETH: And any noble here who fears God should follow him instead of this pretender, Henry Tudor.
To Prince Richard, the Duke of York, and rightful King of England! You came here to destroy your own grandson's day.
You are not my mother.
All you have achieved is the removal of any doubt that you are mad.
All of England is now quite sure of it.
The only madness is that your son remains on the throne.
[breathes deeply.]
But the true King will prevail.
Your sister-in-law, every bit as mad as you, harbors another pretender.
We will deal with him as we did the last.
My son, Richard, made me a promise when I sent him away to safety.
He swore that he would avenge his brother.
That vengeance is coming.
And it is you, Margaret, who shall be dealt with.
[coughing.]
God makes you sick as punishment for your lies.
You will have much to confess to him.
I do not fear death Or judgment.
I have done my duty to God, and he will reunite me with my Edward.
But there is fear in your eyes.
What will you say to God when you see him? How will you explain all that blood on your hands? Take her to the abbey and put her somewhere she cannot write.
THE BOY: I am so pleased you could join us, cousin.
- [music playing.]
- [guests laughing.]
Um [chuckles.]
Perhaps you can recall our times together as children? My apologies, but though we are cousins I'm afraid we've never met before.
Our mothers were not exactly friends and our fathers Well.
They were not always brotherly.
I meant We spent our childhood amongst the same people.
We will have stories in common.
Of course.
Tell us a story of the Prince, Maggie.
[chuckles.]
Uh I did hear of Um, once, you and your brother Edward caught a fox in the grounds, - [chuckles.]
- and sneaked it into the nursery.
[all laughing.]
- Oh, yes that's right.
I had forgotten.
- [laughing.]
I remember being terrified of the beast, but I was desperate to impress my brother.
Edward didn't care, he carried it under his coat and snuck it past our maid.
I, I forget the maid.
What was her name? Mary.
For me she was not so easy to forget.
She was particularly fair.
[laughter.]
Christmas was my favorite time to visit.
We used to gather around, sing.
Oh, on one occasion even the servants joined in.
An evening I recall well.
Forgive me, My Lord but you agreed that we have never met.
I was watching from the balcony.
I was rather a shy child and it became my favorite place to hide.
I could watch everything that went on without having to involve myself.
It was the first Christmas after your father died.
Everyone was trying to make it as happy as it could be for you and your brother.
You were so brave.
From my hiding place, I watched when you and Teddy thought you were alone.
You held him as he wept and told him everything would be well.
That is not my memory.
I know what you will say to Henry.
So play your charade for now if you must.
But when Prince Richard rises against him, I will call on both you and your conscience to join us.
Richard has been exiled.
And England is in darkness.
There is much still to be done.
Let no-one be in doubt about the task that lies ahead of us.
But here today, at last, we have much to celebrate.
My beloved Richard and Cathy Gordon are to be married! [applause.]
[indistinct chatter.]
I suppose we should have guessed she would have something like this up her sleeve.
Let's hope King James is better than his cousin, Lady Gordon, at spotting a peasant in silk.
Excuse me.
Goodnight, my loves.
Remember to say your prayers.
I will.
For you and Father.
And My Lady, the King's Mother.
Your grandmother will be pleased.
I will pray for your mother too.
Is she unwell? She is mad.
I heard Lord Strange say so.
I never want to hear you say that again.
Do you understand? Time for bed.
Now.
Is she unwell, Mother? She is.
Sleep well, my sweet boy.
Lies are all my mother has, Henry.
No one will believe her.
England loves you.
We have had seven years of peace.
And you? Do you love me? [exhales.]
You are God's King.
You are England's King.
And you are my King.
I will sleep alone tonight.
[exhaling.]
Leave me.
[panting.]
A blessed end to us bequeath.
Into thine hands our souls receive.
[breathing deeply.]
[door opening.]
[door closing.]
[man coughing.]
- Margaret? - [exhales.]
What is wrong? I I couldn't sleep.
Something is wrong.
Tell me.
Perhaps I can share your burden.
Is it Henry? Is it Elizabeth? What has she said to you? She is deranged.
You said so yourself.
One of them got away.
What? The princes.
One of them got away.
"Got away?" Elizabeth told my physician, Doctor Lewis, years ago.
She said, "If you had two precious jewels", would you put them in the same box?" Don't you see? She swapped one of the princes.
What she said is true.
"Got away?" From what? Margaret? From who? From a murderer? It is not murder if it is God's will.
- It was you! You killed them.
- No, I I did not! You ordered it.
I cannot know for certain if it was carried out.
They were Yorks.
They were children.
[exhales.]
It was God's will.
God's will? [trembling.]
There is no divinity in this.
Will you tell him? [exhales.]
I must think.
Jasper He would not understand.
You know he could never forgive you.
Even now you think only of yourself.
No, Jasper, how can you say that of me? To know this would destroy Henry.
It would ruin our boy.
If Henry is to be ruined It'll be by your actions, not my telling of them.
[folk music playing.]
[indistinct chattering.]
You see? She cannot catch him out.
She cannot deny that Richard is her cousin.
And if he is, what happens to him next? He takes back the throne of England.
Or? Are you suggesting that we leave Henry Tudor be? That we allow him to rule while Richard is denied his birthright? I am fighting hard to win him allies, but we are just beginning.
Or, he dies.
This is not the beginning of anything.
It's the continuation of a conflict that has claimed all of my sons.
[indistinct chatter.]
Lady Grandmother.
Has the party ended? No.
Your aunt will revel in her success until dawn.
[sobbing.]
Are you ill, Grandmother? [sniffing.]
No.
Aren't you happy about the betrothal? A betrothal means a marriage, and this marriage means war.
He is my grandson.
How can I be happy about that? Oh, Maggie.
You were sleeping when I came to bed.
I didn't want to wake you.
You stayed up late then? RICHARD POLE: I received a letter from the King.
So while the Duchess and her friends enjoyed their revelry, I made good use of it and went about the King's business.
We must leave today.
I've written to the King of the boy's betrothal to the Scottish girl.
But at least we will bring good news when we return.
What is it, Maggie? My grandmother.
She believes the boy is Richard.
You cannot be surprised that she would say that.
It's not simply that she says it.
She believes it, in her heart.
And you? He knew about Teddy and me that Christmas.
How would it be if there had been someone on the stairs who saw you, and they had told him.
Would that not enable him to repeat the story as though he himself had seen it? And if your father had just died, surely one could guess that you would weep at Christmas? He is an imposter.
A clever one, I do not deny that.
Maggie.
I know that there is a part of your heart that would want your cousin to have lived.
But you must think about the implications.
This boy is an imposter.
I must make plans for our return.
[sighs.]
Why is Jasper absent? He is unwell.
We are told we must not worry.
The Duchess has revealed her plans.
She hopes to win the Scottish army to his cause.
LIZZIE: There is no certainty of that.
Or even any great likelihood.
If Cathy Gordon was the highest born bride that she could buy for him, then Europe is little more convinced of his identity than we are.
SIR THOMAS: The girl is just a minor noble.
If his claim is believed, you'd expect he'd win at least a French princess, if not a Spanish one.
And Scotland is too poor to start a war.
The Duchess may just be taunting you.
I will discuss it with my uncle when he is recovered.
[indistinct chatter.]
All you must do is confirm that the boy is a fraud.
We are safe, Maggie.
I promise you.
Sir Richard, Lady Margaret Pole.
We welcome your return.
Your Grace.
Our mission to Burgundy has proven fruitful.
You questioned the boy as I asked, My Lady? Yes, Your Grace.
And? Did you recognize him as your blood? Is he Richard of York? He is not a man whom I have ever seen before.
He is an imposter then? Not your cousin? Not Prince Richard? No, Your Grace.
Is this the evidence? Yes, Your Grace.
Sir Pole Brought home the wax seals of every traitor who has written to the Duchess pledging fealty to the boy.
Proof of treachery from their own hands.
Sir Boswell.
- MARGARET: Traitor.
- Take him.
[sighs.]
Lord Smithson.
[indistinct mumbling.]
Dorley.
Elizabeth, Dowager Queen.
- Sir William Stanley.
- [all gasp.]
No.
It's a lie.
Surely, Brother? I am loyal To the rightful king! - Richard of York! - [scattered chatter.]
LIZZIE: What will you do with her? Your mother's treachery is old news.
And God will take her soon enough without my help.
And William Stanley? And the others? You know what I must do.
And you must do it.
If they have lied to you.
Your Grace? Your uncle wishes to speak with you.
KING HENRY TUDOR: He is recovered? No your Grace, but he is very The King has pressing matters to concern himself with.
I will see to his uncle.
Tell him I will see him presently.
[breathing deeply.]
Jasper.
Leave me, Margaret.
I would speak only with Henry.
What is it that you wish to tell him? That is between me and my King.
You will destroy him, Jasper.
You will destroy everything we have worked for.
[wheezing.]
Oh! Oh! [winces.]
We have offended God.
Did you not love me once, Jasper? - I have never loved anyone else.
- Oh! But this? Did I love you Without ever knowing Who you truly were? Henry needs to know What is done in his name.
Or he will execute traitors [breathing quickly.]
while The greatest of all remains at his side.
[panting.]
Poor, poor Jasper.
I have loved only you And yet I have caused you such pain.
[muffled shouts.]
Help me, Lord, please.
Help me.
God! God would not want you to suffer.
God, help me.
[groaning continues.]
[breathing heavily.]
[sobbing.]
[inaudible conversation.]
[theme music playing.]