Tonight on Starz their popular drama The White Princess returns with an all-new Sunday, May 14, 2017, episode and we have your The White Princess recap below. On tonight’s The White Princess Season 1 Episode 5 recap called “Traitors,” as per the Starz synopsis, “Lizzie (Jodie Comer) deals with her mother’s defiant defense of the York cause; and a boy in Burgundy appears claiming to be a young prince, which threatens to further destabilize King Henry’s (Jacob Collins-Levy) rule.”
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The White Princess begins tonight with the Duchess of Burgundy – Margaret (Joanne Whalley) writing to her cousin Dowager Queen Elizabeth (Essie Davis) about their success of getting support for her son, Richard; the handsome York prince with golden hair. She reveals he will soon return and take his rightful place as the King of England.
Outside, King Henry (Jacob Collins-Levy) and his wife, Queen Lizzie (Jodie Comer) enjoy sitting with the children and watch the young boys sparring; Margaret Beaufort (Michelle Fairley) watches from a distance but is quickly distracted by Jasper Tudor (Vincent Regan) and his wife.
Meanwhile, the Duchess of Burgundy sends Henry an invitation to attend court in Burgundy in honor of Prince Richard. His mother and father object to him going but he insists this Richard is an imposter like the last boy. Lizzie tells him England supports him but he is told of the rumors of villagers fleeing to Burgundy in support of Richard. Henry’s mother suggests he locks down all the ports but he doesn’t feel that is the right thing to do.
In Pole Manor, Wales, Maggie (Rebecca Benson) and her husband are summoned to court. Maggie prefers to stay at the manor with her husband and son, Henry but feels it could be an opportunity to visit Teddy (Albert de Jongh). King Henry informs Maggie that she is to go with her husband to Burgundy to find out if Richard is truly her kin. Maggie and Lizzie walk the grounds, both happy in their marriages. She is pleased King Henry has put so much faith in her but Lizzie warns her that she will do anything to plot against Henry; she swears the boy is not Richard and King Henry must never know.
Maggie kisses her son, Henry goodbye as Lizzie promises he will be well taken care of. Henry’s mother, Margaret questions whether he can trust Maggie and he reassures her that they can. She insists she is a selfless woman but is told King Henry killed two small boys from her orders, she storms away from the table.
Queen Lizzie comes to visit her mother, Dowager Queen Elizabeth at the Abbey ordering her to put a stop to her plotting with the Duchess of Burgundy. Elizabeth smiles and tells her that her aunt needs no help and hands her an envelope. Lizzie doesn’t care to read about her brother’s health and success.
Elizabeth begins to cough and needs to rest but Lizzie tells her she put her on the throne with Henry making her a Tudor Queen and Elizabeth insists she made Lizzie a York Queen. Lizzie confronts her mother about loving her brother more than her. Lizzie tends to her sick mother as she tells her she is old and fading and should spend her last days with her eldest daughter but Henry would not allow that. Lizzie says Henry loves her and would do anything she would ask of him.
Shortly, Elizabeth greets King Henry and Queen Lizzie at court; he hopes that by her being close to Lizzie she will recover quickly, Lizzie promises to visit her later. The Bishop informs Henry they intercepted letters, signed and sealed from the English Lords pledging their support for the so called York boy. Henry is referred to as the pretender while Richard is Prince Richard, Duke of York.
Henry turns his back on the table but Lizzie says their son, Harry is the true Duke of York and they should noble him and show the country their strength. Henry’s mother, Margaret agrees that they should make their son the Duke of York; Henry agrees and tells them to make plans but he has a different idea on how to deal with the traitors.
In Burgundy, the Duchess and Duchess Cecily (Caroline Goodall) are greeted by Maggie and her husband. She welcomes them to court but is disappointed King Henry didn’t come. Maggie walks with her grandmother along the grounds sharing about her son; Cecily knows Maggie is there to prove if Richard is an imposter or not.
Back in England, they prepare for the celebration for Prince Harry, Margaret praised Jasper for being a good father and grandfather to Henry and Harry. She asks about his York wife, and he shares she is kind and caring and patient with him. Margaret says she is glad too as they will always share Henry; when Jasper’s wife, Kate arrives he tells Margaret they will see her at the banquet.
Little Prince Harry endures the ceremony as his parents and family look on. He kneels before his father, who dubs him Duke of York. Meanwhile in Burgundy, everyone enjoys the outdoors with food and wine as Prince Richard arrives. Duchess of Burgundy introduces him as the Duke of York to his cousin, Margaret “Maggie” and her husband, Sir Richard Pole. Sir Richard Pole is not happy to see him.
In England they celebrate Prince Harry, Duke of York while Dowager Queen Elizabeth sneaks through the castle. King Henry toasts both their sons saying their line is strong. Elizabeth interrupts them saying she also wants to toast the Duke of York, her son, Prince Richard who is alive and well in Burgundy. When Henry orders to have her removed she continues to say any noble there who fears God should follow him instead of this pretender, Henry Tudor.
She cheers to her son, Prince Richard, Duke of York and rightful King of England. Lizzie stares at her with fury saying she came there only to destroy her own grandson’s day and denounces her as her mother. Lizzie sits with tears in her eyes and Henry’s mother rushes out to confront Elizabeth.
She tells Elizabeth she has only proven how mad she truly is and Elizabeth says the true king will prevail and Richard swore when she sent him away that one day he would avenge his brother and that vengeance is coming and Margaret will be dealt with. Margaret says God made Elizabeth sick with her lies and she will have much to confess to him but Elizabeth doesn’t fear death nor judgment and God will reunite her with her Edward asking Margaret what she will say to God when she sees him and how she will explain all that blood on her hands?
Richard sits with Maggie who wants to know if this boy is truly Richard but Duchess of Burgundy wants to hear stories of when Richard was young. He is able to answer all her questions, as her husband encourages her to keep asking. Maggie rises saying she doesn’t have the same memories but the Duchess says she will use Richard to rise up against Henry and she will call upon her to join them.
Duchess says Richard has been exiled and England is in dark times so no one should doubt the tough task ahead of them; but today they should celebrate as Richard and Cathy Gordon (Amy Manson) are to be married. Maggie walks away when her husband says they should have known the Duchess was up to something.
Lizzie kisses her sons good night and reminds them to say their prayers; she tells her son that her mother is unwell as he says he will pray for her too. King Henry stands and watches. Lizzie tells him that lies are all her mother has and no one will believe her, reminding him England loves him and they have had 7 years of peace. He asks her if she loves him, she tells him he is God’s king and England’s king. She kisses him and says he is her king. He leaves her saying he will sleep alone tonight.
Margaret is preparign for bed, washing her hands in a bowl of water when suddenly she sees the water as blood. She orders her maids to leave her and she runs down the hallway into the church, where she prays. She hears someone approaching and it is Jasper who wants to know what is wrong.
When she says she can’t sleep, he wants to know in hopes that he can help her. She confesses to him that one of the Princes got away and what Elizabeth said was true. Jasper wants to know what the prince got away from and who? He asks if he got away from a murderer and Margaret says it is not murder if it is God’s will. Jasper is devastated that she ordered the murder of children, Yorks or not.
He says there is no divinity in this and he must think about whether he will tell Henry or not. She says he will not understand as Jasper says she knows he will never forgive her and she is selfish. She pleads with him saying if Henry knew this it would destroy their boy. Jasper says if Henry is to be ruined it will be by her actions and not his telling him.
In Burgundy, the Duchess of Burgundy and Duchess Cecily follow Maggie saying she cannot deny Richard is her cousin and they discuss whether to force Richard to take the throne of England or just leave Henry Tudor alone. Duchess says she will fight for his birthright and Cecily says this is just a continued battle that has claimed all of her sons.
Cecily comes to see her granddaughter, Maggie; she cries saying this marriage means war and since Richard is her grandson how can she be happy about that? The next morning, Maggie wakes up to her husband saying they need to leave as they can share the news with Henry about the marriage. Maggie is hesitant because her grandmother firmly believes the boy is Richard.
Maggie reveals he knew about her and Teddy that Christmas after their father died. He says Richard is a clever impostor and he knows in Maggie’s heart she wants to feel her cousin lived but he is an impostor and they need to return to England.
Margaret dresses and meets with King Henry, she learns Jasper is unwell but they much not worry. Henry shares the letter from Maggie’s husband and Lizzie says if Cathy Gordon was the highest bride she could find for Richard, then they are less convinced he is a York boy since Cathy is only a minor noble. Lizzie says Scotland is too poor to start a war and the Duchess is only taunting him. King Henry says he will discuss it with his uncle when he is recovered.
Maggie is told to just convince King Henry the boy is a fraud and she will be safe. King Henry asks if she questioned him and she tells him the boy is not someone she has seen before; when asked if he is an impostor and not her cousin Richard, she shakes her head and tells him no. Maggie’s husband hands Henry all the wax seals of everyone who has written to the Duchess pledging loyalty to the boy; which is proof of treachery.
King Henry begins to pull out the seals one by one, as he calls out the noblemen’s names they are taken away. One of them is Lizzie’s mother, Elizabeth Dowager Queen and the final one he pulls out is Sir William Stanley who says he is loyal to the rightful king, Sir Richard of York.
Lizzie wants to know what Henry will do to her mother but he says God will take her soon without his help but she knows what he must do to the others. Kate comes to see King Henry saying Jasper wishes to speak to him but Margaret says she will take care of him.
Margaret enters his room and he tells her to leave as he will only speak to Henry; she demands to know what he will tell him and he says its between him and his king. Jasper is very ill and Margaret helps him into bed. He says they have offended God and has never loved anyone else but her but he only loved her without knowing who she truly was. He insists Henry needs to know what was done in his name or he will execute traitors when the greatest one of all remains at his side.
Margaret cries that she has only loved Jasper yet she has caused him such pain. She takes a pillow and suffocates him as she prays to God for help. She removes the pillow and rushes out of the room, holding her cross. She returns to the church and prays while Kate informs King Henry and Queen Lizzie that Jasper is dead. Henry runs to be with him, heartbroken. Henry cries into Jasper’s chest while Margaret cries in the chapel, she looks up at a candle and the flame blows out.
THE END!