For all intents and purposes, it's a fresh start on a continuation of the old story. Some of the same characters (historical figures) will appear in the upcoming show, but none of the same actors are returning - the role of Margaret Beaufort, the King's mother, for instance, was played by Amanda Hale in the first show and will now be played by Game of Thrones' Michelle Fairley. Though the new series is technically a sequel, it seems to be fairly distinct from the earlier BBC show (despite the fact that the two shows have the same showrunner and writer, Emma Frost). The White Princess serves as a direct sequel to The White Queen - the novel that the new show is based on is the fifth in the Cousins' War series, chronologically following the three that informed the plot of The White Queen. Each of the three novels that formed the basis of The White Queen is part of Gregory's The Cousins' War series of novels. The one-season drama was based on the fictionalized historical events (set during the time of the Wars of the Roses, from the women's point of views) retold in Gregory's novels The White Queen, The Red Queen, and The Kingmaker's Daughter. The White Queen was a 10-part British miniseries (starring Rebecca Ferguson as the titular queen, Elizabeth Woodville) that aired on BBC One in the United Kingdom and Starz in the United States back in 2013. Given the similarity of the names, many viewers are wondering - how are The White Princess and The White Queen connected? The upcoming show is based on the historical novel of the same name by Philippa Gregory, who also wrote The White Queen, another book that was adapted for television.

Starz's The White Princess is easily one of the most anticipated new shows of 2017, largely thanks to its obvious similarities to Game of Thrones (albeit without all of the fantasy trappings and with direct historical elements).

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