The Lie
Be warned, the recap below continues big spoilers about the plot, do bear this in mind if you haven’t watched this episode! We return to The Spanish Princess with Catherine receiving a letter from her mother saying that if she isn’t with child she is to return to Spain but her dowry must also be repaid. After some deliberation, Catherine decides to defy the king’s mother by arriving to church on a mule. The king’s mother asks why she chose a mule to arrive on and tells her she is no longer princess of Wales. If she is carrying a son though she will be the mother of the King, just like herself. While everyone in court wonders if Catherine is really pregnant, the king is preoccupied by the future of the country. Elizabeth tries blaming Maggie for Arthur getting ill as she sent her own children away but Maggie tells her she did it after she found out Arthur became ill, defiantly proclaiming she had nothing to do with it as she loved him like a son. Catherine runs away to her room as she finds out she’s not pregnant. Overcome by worry, she wonders what will happen to all of them now she is not with child. She decides that because she was sent to marry the future king of England and bring peace, she will marry Prince Harry instead. Lina tells her it is forbidden but Catherine tells her it is possible if she is still a virgin and the marriage was not consummated. Catherine then decides that she’ll lie and deny that anything happened between her and Arthur.
Meanwhile, Meg is still upset at the thought of marrying James of Scotland. Her grandmother tells her she has to fulfil her duty like she did although she was married and got pregnant when she was 12. The king’s mother then reprimands Catherine about what she just saw while Oviedo and Lina grow closer together and share an intimate moment together in the gardens. Catherine and Harry meet after dinner and he tells her he doesn’t want her to leave. She tells him that her mother is planning her next marriage and informs him he never consummated the marriage with Arthur. Harry then nonchalantly remarks that if she’s still a virgin they could marry instead. Of course, in order to do so they would need the pope’s permission so Harry heads off to speak to the king. He tells his father that England needs this as the country is in turmoil. As Elizabeth goes into labour, she throws Maggie out as she thinks she will take her son away from her. Unfortunately, the queen gives birth to a still born girl. Catherine later receives a message from Harry saying his father will agree to the union. She meets with Lady Pole and tells her that her and Arthur weren’t really married but Maggie doesn’t believe it. She realizes that Catherine wants to marry Harry which angers her but she tells her it’s God’s destiny for her. Unfortunately, shortly after the birth of her daughter, Elizabeth passes away. The episode then ends with Catherine writing to her mother explaining what has been happening with Harry and asks for her blessing for their wedding. The Spanish Princess continues to weave political intrigue and drama in its third episode and for the most part, it works really well. There’s a great deal of Tudor politics at play here and seeing Catherine as the confident woman she was is certainly refreshing to see. Of course, the romance between Lina and Oviedo does take away some of the sting of the episode and a few of the dramatic beats do take some liberties with the real history but there’s enough here to make for an enjoyable episode nonetheless.
