Philippa Gregory continues her Cousins’ War series with The White Princess. The year is 1485, and as alliances fail and the York reign comes to an end, the loyalty of the York women to King Henry VII is tested. Elizabeth of York, the oldest York princess, was prepared to marry her lover Richard III, whom she assumed would win the battle of Bosworth and become the next king. Devastated by the news of his death, Elizabeth finds her life drastically changed. Alongside his ambitious, plotting mother, the Red Queen, Henry Tudor plans to marry Elizabeth to unify the warring Tudors and Yorks and create peace in England. Elizabeth finds herself reluctantly betrothed to her lover’s murderer, in an attempt to bring peace to her country. Soon, her loyalties are tested as she is torn between the family of her past and her alliance to her new husband.
Despite their gradually strengthening bond, Henry continues to question Elizabeth’s commitment, since the one thing that could threaten his reign is a challenge from a member of the House of York. And lurking in the background is the memory of the two missing York princes. Henry and the entire kingdom know that as long as there are still living males of the York line, his position as king is not safe. Are they out there?
The White Princess is a story of honor, politics and loyalty. Deception and rumors whisper through the damp and drafty halls of dark castles, creating a story full of intrigue. The pace remains consistent as the story careens down a maze of hallways, each ending in the discovery of another veiled lie. By attempting to explain the mystery of the two missing York princes, Gregory has created a tale of the choices we make and the consequences we cannot imagine.
