Episode 7 of The White Princess abandons historical ambiguity and commits to a fictionalized tragedy: Perkin Warbeck truly was Richard of York, and Elizabeth of York knowingly allowed her brother to die. While Philippa Gregory leaves this question unresolved in her novel, the television adaptation removes all doubt… and in doing so, misrepresents Henry VII’s handling of pretenders, exaggerates the political threat Warbeck posed, and invents cruelty, humiliation, and melodrama where none existed. This post examines who Perkin Warbeck was, how Henry VII treated him, and why this episode misunderstands Tudor politics, psychology, and power.

Inside This Post:

• Richard of York versus Perkin Warbeck
• Henry VII’s Strategy With Pretenders
• Elizabeth of York and Perkin Warbeck
• Lady Catherine Gordon at the Tudor Court
• The Royal Wardrobe Fire
• Minor Inaccuracies & Clarifications

Episode 7: Two Kings

With the Pretender Richard of York, Perkin Warbeck, safely in his castle, Henry VII tries to humiliate him in public by turning him into a servant. His wife, Elizabeth of York, wrestles with the increasing awareness that Perkin is actually her brother.

Richard of York versus Perkin Warbeck

Philippa Gregory leaves it ambiguous in her novel about whether Perkin is actually Richard of York (but she says in her author’s notes she believes he was), but the series makes it plain he is who he says he is, so Elizabeth winds up having her own brother executed. Nice.

In this and the next episode, there are repeated scenes of Richard being given chances to denounce his “false claims” and admit that he is a nobody named Perkin Warbeck. He refuses every single time, asserting instead that he is the true and lawful king and Henry will bow before him. (“You should kill me if you wish to stay upon my throne. I am the son of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville! And I am the rightful King of England. You thought I was murdered, but I live, so you will stand aside and return to me the crown and throne which have been stolen from me, or you will face the righteous wrath of almighty God who will rage against you throne and cast you into hell.”)

It’s only after Henry has Perkin’s wife brought to court, then Margaret Beaufort removes their child, that “Richard” admits to being a fraud. Meanwhile, Henry and his advisors fret constantly about the “huge threat” Richard poses to them, with armies behind him and people amassing in Scotland to help him.

None of this happened, of course.

Once Perkin was caught at the Abbey, it was all over for him. James of Scotland did not amass an army in his defense because his brief invasion had already failed and he came to terms with Henry VII. Margaret of York did nothing on his behalf, since she was never involved as more than a mouthpiece in Burgundy. Europe saw him as a failed Pretender, who, shortly after being hauled to court, admitted his name wasn’t Richard of York and who his parents were; although weirdly, he is known as Perkin Warbeck, despite his confessed name being Piers Osbeck.

As soon as he admitted to being an imposter, Henry released him from the Tower of London and let him stay at court, under guard and separated from his wife, but he could attend royal banquets. There’s no evidence he was turned into a servant (unlike Lambert Simnel) or that he was forced to sleep on the floor in the robe room.

Henry VII’s Strategy With Pretenders

I doubt the real Henry threatened him with being “hung, drawn, and quartered,” as he does in the show, because Perkin was not an English citizen, thus he could not be a traitor, only a Pretender. (He executed the Irish and English allies that supported him for treason, though.)

So, why did Henry keep him alive for so long? Presumably, as evidence that he was a Pretender, rather than a martyred man of royal blood. Leaving Pretenders alive allowed Henry to put them in lower positions (that would not suit people of real royal blood) and let him dismantle York arguments in their favor. He was showing people he did not feel threatened by them, and he only executed them if they became dangerous. Lambert Simnel learned his lesson and submitted, but Perkin tried to escape and was then confined in the Tower.

In one scene, Henry and Elizabeth escort Perkin/Richard tied up through the streets of London, where people pelt him with food until his impassioned words to them changes their mood in his favor. This also did/did not happen. Perkin was brought into London and jeered, but the crowd did not support him and there were no fears of them turning on the royal family to rescue him.

Neither did Henry lose his temper and beat Perkin almost to death in public. The real Henry was a stoic, withdrawn, secretive man whose public face was difficult to read. He schemed behind the scenes rather than being the immature, jealous, insecure loose cannon in this series. (He has a total meltdown and freaks out because he itches and thinks Richard is poisoning his clothes. It’s extremely cringe.)

Elizabeth of York and Perkin Warbeck

It’s clear we’re supposed to adore Richard and think he would make the better king, since he’s so sweet, polite, generous, and kind to everyone, while Henry is an insecure, neurotic man-child. But we must not forget that this “sweet, kind young man” is trying to unseat a sitting king, and is threatening his sister’s children and her life. He also somehow knows Margaret Beaufort murdered his brother, which… how come everyone at court is aware of this except the people who matter the most? Is it printed somewhere?!

Lizzie has many encounters with her brother, and tries to help him escape at the end of the episode so he can be a nobody and “live,” but he refuses. Historically, one source said that Elizabeth of York never met Perkin Warbeck; but if he was at court, that is unlikely. She probably had very little to do with him, since her husband took him “on progress” (his spring pilgrimage to various religious shrines, no doubt to show the people that the Pretender was now among his servants and in his household), and then Perkin escaped, was recaptured in an abbey, and returned to the Tower of London.

Lady Catherine Gordon at the Tudor Court

On-screen, Henry has Cathy Gordon brought to court, annuls her marriage, gives her back her maiden name, and then humiliates Richard and his wife by flirting with her in public. It’s unclear to his wife whether or not Henry has slept with her, because after a nightmare, she seeks him out and finds his bed empty. He is also cagey in answering her deliberate questions. Cathy’s son is taken from her, and we are led to assume Margaret Beaufort had it killed rather than place it “anonymously” with a family.

Here is where history gets sketchy. Henry was taken with Lady Catherine’s beauty when he met her at Taunton, and he sent her on to be among Elizabeth’s ladies-in-waiting in London. There are records of him giving her presents (as he did many of the women at court; it was a “courtly” thing to do, and did not always imply an affair) but not him favoring her, spending time with her, or being intimate with her. Unlike other kings, there’s no mention, rumors of, or evidence to support Henry VII ever having a mistress. (He adored his wife, and her premature death almost killed him from grief. Besides, illegitimate children would threaten his throne.)

Richard/Perkin and Cathy’s son had disappeared by the time she arrived in London, so he may have died on the journey or before she met Henry. He also did not annul her marriage, since that would have been the Church’s business and not left up to the king. And since she had no living children, he did not need to make their offspring bastards.

She stayed at court for the rest of her life and married three other men.

The Royal Wardrobe Fire

Lizzie sets fire to her husband’s royal wardrobe to pretend Richard died in the fire, while making it possible for him and his wife to escape in the ensuing chaos.

Historically, while Henry was traveling on progress, he had Perkin sleep in his wardrobe room. History records that there was an accidental fire in which the boy was almost burned. But this was a separate incident from his escape; he slipped past Henry’s guards in June 1498 to claim sanctuary in the Sheen Abbey (on the Thames). As punishment, Henry had him put in the stocks at Westminster and Cheapside, then confined in the Tower.

Minor Inaccuracies & Clarifications:

• The women are riding astride on a hunt; not done in the late 1400s
• Margaret of York / Burgundy never returned to England, and certainly did not sneak into London to conspire to free Perkin Warbeck. Nor was Margaret Pole involved in any treasonous schemes; she would have known it could get her killed.
• Lizzie and Cathy bitch and snipe at each other because no women can ever be friends in Philippa Gregory novels and adaptations; they are always rivals
• Richard/Perkin is made a cupbearer, which would not happen, since he could not be trusted not to spit in or poison the royal cups
• Margaret Beaufort tells Lizzie she should not mind it if Henry sleeps with Lady Cathy, since “he is the king” and this is “necessary.” A statement that does not fit her pious religious personality.

This article is part of my Historical Accuracy in Historical TV Shows & Movies series, where I break down the real history behind popular historical dramas.

About the Author: Charity Bishop writes historical fiction, historical fantasy, and suspense novels that explores the darkness in human hearts, and the light that refuses to be extinguished. Discover her books.