Teddy's Fate May End In Tragedy On 'The White Princess'

It's clear to viewers that The White Princess is not the standard Tudor show. It has a feminist stance, which no doubt comes from women being a big part of the production team. The titular princess-turned-queen, Elizabeth of York, is at the forefront. Other stories that may not have been taught in history class are also given a lot of attention; one such story is that of Teddy. Teddy, whose full name was Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick, was Elizabeth's cousin. So what happens to Teddy on The White Princess? His true fate is heartbreaking.

In the second episode of the series, Henry VII decided to lock Teddy in the Tower of London. To backtrack a bit, Henry is highly paranoid about his claim to the throne. This is because he ascended to it by killing reigning King Richard III, thus ending the War of the Roses between rival houses Tudor and York. Despite his win, he felt that his rule was still uncertain and that York could take the palace from him. It didn't help that Teddy was popular with the English people, so Henry felt threatened by him. Despite the fact that Teddy is a cousin of his wife, Elizabeth — and that he's prepubescent — Henry held him prisoner.

Teddy's sister, Margaret "Maggie" Platagenet, begged Elizabeth to get him from the tower. She had hoped that the birth of Elizabeth's son would alleviate Henry's fears that his throne might be usurped, but it apparently didn't. Maggie and Elizabeth visited Teddy on Sunday's episode, but they didn't have good news for him. Elizabeth then went to Henry and tried to convince him to release the boy, but he refused. From history, viewers know that the real Teddy had a tragic end. Henry VII really did lock him in the Tower of London when he was 10 years old, and he was there for the rest of his life. When he was 24, Teddy was executed after being accused of treason.

While The White Princess follows true events closely, it is a fictional retelling. This means that what happened to Teddy in reality may not happen in the show. It's unknown whether Elizabeth of York really fought for Teddy; perhaps in the series, he will get redeemed. Henry still doesn't seem to trust Elizabeth yet — when that changes, he might be more open to her suggestions. Viewers will have to see whether Teddy's story on The White Princess deviates from history.