Death by Childbirth: Like many woman before her, and in a case of Truth in Television, Elizabeth of York goes out in an incredibly disgusting and gruesome childbirth. The absolute worst is the repetition coupled with the classic violation of "show, don't tell". Catalina repeats herself more times than I could count. She goes on and on about how she is the true Queen of England, the Infanta of Spain, born to be Queen, and on and on. Everyone refers to her as being "constant", in a heavy-handed way of referencing the title. Conversations that shouldn't last more than a couple of sentences are drawn out to several minutes of listening time (such as: Arthur and Catalina discussing plants, Arthur and Catalina whining about how hard their lives are, Catalina moaning about meeting a woman whose brother was put to death by Catalina's family). The absolute worst was the description of Allahmbra, which had to have gone on for 10+ minutes. I know that Gregory was trying to give her audience of how opulent it was, but having Catalina talk to the audience about how opulent it is is BORING and repetitive. Instead, have your characters DO something that shows the opulence. fine her for every time she said the words "constant", "princess", "queen", "infanta", "child", "beloved", "lover", and "born to" Henry VIII (or more likely Wolsey) arranged for Bessie Blount to be married to a highborn lord after she had given birth to Henry Fitzroy. Not so here. Years pass, and Catalina admits to herself that her actions are for her own interests as much as Arthur's. Out of all of Catalina's children, only Princess Mary survived, leaving the fate of England unstable. Harry had more mistresses, all of whom she tolerated quietly as Harry eventually grew bored of them all and were never a threat to her. But his latest mistress, Anne Boleyn, is the most ambitious and is trying to take her spot as queen. Catalina vows to keep her promise to Arthur and proudly decides to fight for her right as queen. The novel ends, with Katherine entering a court hearing about her marriage to Harry.

There are two types of narrations in this book, unlike the previous ones which were all in the first person. We have a third-person narration and also a first-person narration that is written in italic font. Not sure why Philippa decided to do that. This forms the base of the narrative. The truth is we will never know and historical novel writing is indeed about surmising and filling in the gaps. she was not afraid as she is a Spanish Princess and Princess of Wales. Catalina’s parentage and titles are incredibly important to her, even as a young child, as she prepares for her destiny as Queen of England. The morning after the raid, Catherine is depicted as being an intelligent, strong-willed and determined woman. She is politically astute and very observant, and skilled at playing the game of court-life. She is a very religious woman and believes in piety and modesty. She uses her Catholic faith as a source of strength during difficult times. She is usually able to remain calm and dignified even during the most trying of times. She is unwavering in her opinions, stubborn to a fault and never surrenders. Catherine is also shown to be very compassionate, as she cares for the common people and works tirelessly to help the poor. She does, however, have a sense of entitlement and being 'above' other people due to her royal status and upbringing, though this was considered quite normal for the upper classes of the 16th century. It is certainly a Riddle for the Ages of whether Catherine of Aragon and Arthur consummated their marriage. But Catherine insisted that it had never been consummated as early as during the reign of Henry VII when he bluntly asked if she was pregnant after Arthur's death. In this series she did consummate her marriage with Arthur and lies to the court and Harry.The Spanish Princess is a Starz historical drama series adapted from Philippa Gregory's novels The Constant Princess and The King's Curse. The show centers around Catherine of Aragon's time in England during the latter reign of Henry VII. It premiered on May 5th, 2019. The remaining eight episodes were broadcast in 2020. How does Katherine usurp power from the king's grandmother, Margaret Beaufort, and then, "slowly but surely," draw the "management of the entertainments, then of the household, then of the king's business, then of the kingdom, into her hands" (286)? How much control does Katherine eventually come to have over the kingdom? The truth is that the Muslim Empire of the Moors was built on conquest and aimed to forcibly convert non-Muslims, treating minorities with a Dhimmi status (Ever heard of the slaughter in Spain by the fanatical Almohads?) Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: The response of the English state helps Protestantism to spread. King Henry VIII will also become a figure of the Protestant Reformation (despite holding Catholic beliefs) alongside Martin Luther, John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli.

Feuding Families: The Yorks and the Tudors. Considerably lessened since The White Queen and The White Princess due to the longstanding marriage between Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, but John de la Pole emerges as a Yorkist claimant to England. Becoming the Mask: Harry wrote love letters to Catherine as Prince Arthur. It started as a joke, but he ended up falling in love with her. Also for Catherine, as she seduces Harry so that she will be Queen of England, only to end up wanting to be with Harry more than be Queen.One big thing that differentiates the protagonist from the previous book's protagonist (The White Princess) who is her mother-in-law Queen Elizabeth, the daughter of Queen Elizabeth Woodville is that Katherine has a very strong personality. She has taken that from her mother. She is tough enough to look after herself very well in a strange land and even claims it as her own. Those readers who enjoy reading about a strong female protagonist will enjoy reading this book, perhaps more than the previous one.