Philippa Gregory's, The Real White Queen and Her Rivals

Acclaimed author Philippa Gregory reveals the emotionally powerful true stories of three remarkable women who lived through the treason and bloodshed of the dynastic conflict we call the War of the Roses. The White Queen is Elizabeth Woodville, her rivals Margaret Beaufort and Anne Neville. Gregory’s claim is that it is impossible to understand this volatile and pivotal moment in English history without understanding the women at the heart of the family feuds that tore the nobility apart. They are as vital as any of the Kings and nobles that conventional history concentrates upon. The White Queen is Elizabeth Woodville a beautiful commoner who enchanted a King and became the first truly English woman to sit on the throne. Gregory recounts in extraordinary detail how she saw her family murdered, her children endangered and was labelled a witch but survived and thrived in the midst of war and conspiracy. She carried the banner of the House of York through this turbulent era. Gregory also brings to vivid life the rivals of White Queen. Margaret Beaufort was a stalwart of the House of Lancaster, the child bride who devoted her life to the cause of her son Henry Tudor. She conspired and schemed against anyone who would deny him his destiny. Gregory captures a woman driven by religious piety and power politics who survives terrible hardship. The final character is Anne Neville, privileged daughter of the most powerful noble in the land, the Earl Of Warwick. As a young woman Anne is sucked into the great power struggles of the period and sees her life transformed from one of gilded luxury into one of terrible danger. Gregory describes how you Anne becomes a crucial figure in the dynastic alliances that changed the nations history. For Gregory the fact that this era was known as the Cousins War at the time reveals just why the women were so important. This was a battle between kin not countries and the loyalties, rebellions, plots and betrayals of these women were decisive in shaping the history of England.

Acclaimed author Philippa Gregory tells the interweaving stories of the women who were decisive figures in the War of the Roses. Gregory brings a rich story of intrigue, betrayal, love and bloodshed vividly to life. For Gregory these women matter as much as the Kings and nobles in this age of instability and dynastic feud. She decribes the lives of Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen, a commoner whose beauty enchanted a King and who suffered shocking tragedy as she struggled to hold a grip on the throne for herself and her for her children. Gregory also brings to live the woman who would be Queen to Richard III, the heiress, Anne Neville. Gregory depicts a young woman born into power and privilege who survives traumatic losses to become Queen. We see her grow from a political pawn of her noble father to a determined and canny player on the national stage. The programme also sees Gregory reveal the real character of Margaret Beaufort, mother of the Tudor dynasty.. This extraordinary woman devotes her life to the cause of her son Henry Tudor and plays a cunning game of alliance and conspiracy to keep his claim to the throne of England alive. She is never Queen but ends the era more powerful that Queen Elizabeth or Queen Anne. Her brilliant strategic plotting steers her exiled son to the pinnacle of power.