The idea of royalty is a fascinating one, but reality is rarely as interesting as what we can imagine. Some of the most popular series currently mid-run are centered on the fictionalized lives of real royalty, such as Netflix’s The Crown or Hulu’s The Great; to vastly different series in tone, but with similar subjects of interest at their heart.
Place a woman at the center of the public eye, and we all know what we’ll do; give her real political power and influence, and she becomes all the more fascinating from an outside storytelling perspective. Before The Crown returns with all its royal ladies, let’s look at some of the best shows featuring royal women you can check out right now.
The Spanish Princess
The Spanish Princess follows Catherine of Aragon (Charlotte Hope) as she travels to England to marry her betrothed, Prince Arthur (Angus Imrie). Her culture shock is made worse when she realizes that Arthur, with whom she’d thought she’d shared a romantic correspondence leading up to their wedding day, was not the true author of the letters. Of course, it comes as no surprise to history buffs that Arthur dies not long after the marriage, leaving Catherine to secure her position by marrying his younger brother Henry.
The Spanish Princess is the fourth high-profile adaptation of Philippa Gregory’s historical romance novels that follow the royal women of England. And as such, these adaptations feel every ounce the romance novel creations that they are. The series fully embraces the drama and splendor of the source material, making for yet another entertaining story of a woman’s rise to political power in England.
The White Princess
The title The White Princess refers to Elizabeth of York (Jodie Comer), who is promised to marry King Henry Tudor, a man she initially hates. The White Princess is a direct sequel to The White Queen, which followed Elizabeth’s mother, also Elizabeth (Rebecca Ferguson).
Comer is, as always, a standout, and leads the series in more ways than one. Her Elizabeth is a worthy successor to her mother before her, and also interesting enough to get new fans on board. There are also plenty more politics, costumes, and love affairs to keep fans of the series happy.
The White Queen
The White Queen tells of a love story between Elizabeth Woodville and the usurper Edward IV (Max Irons). They marry in secret, against the wishes of Edward’s closest political advisor Warwick (James Frain). This leads to a falling-out between the two that results in open rebellion led by Warwick against Edward.
The White Queen is the soapy mother and grandmother to The White Princess and The Spanish Princess, and in our opinion, it’s the best of the three thanks to the excellent Rebecca Ferguson. Produced by Starz, it shares DNA with the mix of sex, violence, magic, and certain brand of feminism the network is known for.
Victoria
Victoria follows the ascension to the throne of the young British queen, who would go on to be considered one of England’s greatest monarchs. The first of the show’s 3 seasons focus mostly on the romance between Victoria (Jenna Coleman) and her longtime love Albert (Tom Hughes). The second season focuses more on the political side of her reign, and the third broadens its narrative scope to include many plots, including parenthood, marriage, politics, and of course, a bit of romance.
Victoria is sure to please fans of royal drama, and features a talented cast and strong writing. Along with the two Elizabeths, each well-documented subjects of film and television, Victoria is one of the most famous English queens, and those interested in English royalty shouldn’t miss this series detailing her life and reign.
Bridgerton
This one’s for the Regency-era romance fans. It’s also for those who like their royals more in the backdrop, without all the political intrigue accompanying other series on this list. Based on the Bridgerton novels by Julia Quinn, the series devotes each season to the love and marriage of one sibling from the Bridgerton family. What results is Pride and Prejudice with more sex scenes, and a touch of Gossip Girl in the form of the anonymous Lady Whistledown.
The costumes and the cast are gorgeous, and the series makes no effort to pretend it’s anything other than a period piece for the modern audience. So, where does the royalty come into it all? Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) is a delightfully extravagant queen whose main excitement comes from reading the gossip columns about her subjects. As a result, she pulls what strings necessary to read a good story and see true love prevail (in that order).
The Great
The Great, a self-proclaimed “occasionally true story”, was written by Tony McNamara, who also produced the script for the critically-acclaimed The Favourite. It tells a heavily-edited story of Russian empress Catherine the Great (Elle Fanning). She marries Emperor Peter (Nicholas Hoult), and the two initially despise each other. Catherine launches a coup on her husband, making her Empress of Russia.
The real Catherine and Peter were well-documented to have held no love for each other, but the series has their tumultuous relationship become one of eventual respect and love, made complicated by their struggle against each other for the throne. The Great’s comedy and crass tone make it a unique and highly entertaining watch.
The Crown
The Crown is the reigning queen of all series about royalty. Starting with Elizabeth’s marriage to Philip (Matt Smith), and then swiftly covering the years before King George VI’s death and the crowning of Queen Elizabeth (Claire Foy), season one follows England’s longest-reigning monarch in the early years of her reign. The first and second seasons feature the same cast, which is replaced every two seasons by older actors to reflect the characters aging.
Seasons 3 and 4 expand the focus to Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor) as he is prepped for one day succeeding his mother as monarch of England. He meets Diana (Emma Corrin) in Season 4, and their troubled marriage and divorce will be a focus of Seasons 5 and 6, with Dominic Cooper and Elizabeth Debicki set to play older versions of Charles and Diana. The Crown is immaculately crafted and has earned numerous accolades for writing, directing, acting, production, and costume design. The series has set a new standard for the royal drama.