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Elizabeth and the Prince of Spain

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Elizabeth and the Price of Spain by Margaret Irwin is the third in a series of novels by Margaret Irwin. This novel is about the relationship between Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King Henry VIII, and Prince Phillip of Spain who is the soon to be husband of King Henry's oldest daughter Mary, who is the current Queen of England. The series was first published in 1946-1953. This newly released novel from Sourcebooks tells the story of the love /hate relationship between Princess Elizabeth and Mary. This historical novel gives us an insight into the Tudor court with the Catholic Mary and Phillip and Protestant Elizabeth. Mary hopes with the help of Phillip that she can bring back Catholicism to England. Phillip in the meantime becomes attracted to Elizabeth. I think this is actually the first account I read which explains the animosity that is to come between Phillip and Elizabeth during Elizabeth's reign. This series is very well researched and even though it was written in the early 50's, it still has a modern feel to it. Any historical buff will enjoy this series.

A religious zealot and totally dedicated to his nation Spain, Philip, King Consort knows he is to marry Princess Mary I. However, she mirrors him in terms of intelligence and beliefs. Instead he is attracted to his betrothed's dynamic sister, the Protestant Elizabeth. He loathes his desire for his future sister-in-law, as she brings out carnal feelings he knows are unholy. Neither is aware of what awaits them and their nations in three decades.

At the same time they do their careful two steps, Robert Dudley is in love with Elizabeth. Obsessed with restoring God's laws, Mary orders the Papal legate Reginald Pole, the great-nephew of Edward IV and Richard III to lead the reversal of the heresy her father Henry VIII caused. However, the brilliant Pole who knows overturning the Anglican heretical legacy would be a tribute to his late mom killed by the former monarch. However, he lacks the energy and ambition to take charge of the royal demand.

This is a reprint of the third young Elizabeth trilogy (see Young Bess: The Girl Who Would Be Queen and Elizabeth, Captive Princess: Two Sisters, One Throne) written in 1953. The story line has a historiographical feel to it as readers will see a different style and tone than in present day written Tudor novels. Still, fans of the era will appreciate the well written insightful look at three rivals competing for power at a time of intense turmoil.

Harriet Klausner

Let the reader beware: you won't find any bodice-ripping here. This book, the last in Margaret Irwin's trilogy telling the story of the young Elizabeth I up to her accession to the throne, was published in 1953. For those accustomed to the faster pace and more scandalous nature of today's historical fiction, this book will seem old-fashioned. But if you come to it with an open mind and allow the story to unravel, I believe any reader could come to enjoy it as much as I did.

The "Prince of Spain" in the title of the book is Philip, King Consort to Elizabeth's sister, Mary I. His character, so often misunderstood, comes to life here. Emotionally recalcitrant, dutiful, zealous, and mediocre in intellect, he finds himself drawn like a flame to the brilliant and troublesome Elizabeth. His lust from the first is mixed with hate (he imagines having her burnt or drowned in their first meeting, in a wonderfully eerie passage), which foreshadows the later bitter rivalry the two will engage in, culminating in the defeat of the Spanish Armada. The lack of sex scenes only increases the tension in their dynamic.

Although the Elizabeth/Philip relationship is the focal point, other wonderful characterizations abound. Standouts include Emperor Charles V, a Robert Dudley besotted with Elizabeth, and the Papal legate Mary summons to restore the Catholic faith in England, Reginald Pole. The last is particularly well-drawn. Pole is the last of the Plantagenets, a great-nephew to Edward IV and Richard III. Henry VIII had his mother butchered by an axeman. Although very intelligent and gifted, Pole spends his life floundering in his incredible privilege, lacking the vigor and character required to effectively use his talents.

This is not a book that is easy to read. It is detailed, rich in subtleties and requires re-readings to fully appreciate it. I wasn't sure about it on my first read, but now it has become one of my favorite books on the Tudor period. Highly recommended.

This is the third novel in a frightening and moving trilogy about the young Elizabeth Tudor. I could not put any of the books down until I had finished them. Elizabeth is enchanting, clever, in constant danger. Unless you are already an aficionado, I guarantee that these books will change your view of this fascinating woman. There are many other wonderfully drawn personalities in these novels, including the dying Henry VIII, Thomas Seymour and his brother the Protector, Catherine Parr, Elizabeth's two siblings, Lady Jane Grey, and, in this third book, the young Philip of Spain. Ms. Irwin is careful to provide enough background to make it all clear, and while the didacticism occasionally shows, it never gets tedious. Highly recommended, and a perfect introduction to further reading about this pivotal era of history.

I found this a bit slower to read but still engaging and interesting.

This is the concluding book of the trilogy which included "Young Bess" (which I did not read) and "Elizabeth, Captive Princess: Two Sisters, One Throne" which I did read and review.

As I noted in my review of "Elizabeth, Captive Princess," the writing style is unusual as if flows yet twists in a puzzling fashion that seems to fit Princess Elizabeth. The thought process presented is almost frenetic as Elizabeth tries to maintain such a fine line between her fierce independence and her need to show submissiveness to Queen Mary and Prince Philip. There is already political tension between Queen Mary and the imprisoned Elizabeth due to their respective claims to the throne and due to their religious differences. Queen Mary has brought England back to the Catholic faith as the only true religion which is supported by Rome and Prince Philip. On the other hand, Elizabeth was raised with their father's less formal ritual in the Protestant church. The tension is increased by the jealousy evoked by Prince Philip's interest and leniency towards Elizabeth. Prince Philip, aged 27, marries Queen Mary, aged 38, as a political move to increase the power of Spain. Philip convinces Mary to show mercy and release Elizabeth from The Tower and allow her to live freely, if guardedly.

Elizabeth is portrayed as a bright young woman who draws men, young and old, to her ethereal manner and charms the common masses with her natural exuberance. She continually chants in word games and speaks in riddles to keep her meaning ambiguous or at least uncommitted. The author catches this character so well that, for me, it made the reading slower as I had to pay close attention to catch the nuances and think about the implications of what Elizabeth is saying outwardly compared to what she is thinking or feeling that she is not expressing.

It appears that the author did detailed research into the important events and times of the story and into the known letters written by the participants. These then are fleshed out in fiction that gives the characters depth - and life. A large part of the story focuses on portraying the development and character of Philip before shifting back to Elizabeth. It can not be known how they truly interacted and felt, but the author pulls you into their lives in a vivid way. The book made me want to look up what factually happened to these historical characters and try to determine how close to reality the story is.

The story makes me glad that I do not live a life that must play such political games of manipulation. It was somewhat surprising that Elizabeth was allowed to live by Queen Mary. This was due in great part to Prince Philip who was inclined to subtly be with Elizabeth with the hope they might be together if Mary died. Ultimately Elizabeth does succeed to the throne upon Mary's death but she continues to keep Philip at bay. As the bookmakers in Europe took bets that Elizabeth's reign would not make it past six months one gets a glimpse from the author of the matters of state, marriage proposals and considerations that Elizabeth had to juggle. This is a remarkable historical portrayal of very interesting historical figures.

Elizabeth And The Prince Of Spain opens with the marriage of Prince Philip of Spain to Elizabeth's sister, Mary. Mary is the daughter of Henry VIII's first wife, Katherine of Aragon, and she has no sisterly love for the offspring of his next wife, Anne Boleyn. The marriage is one of political convenience for Spain; Mary is more than a decade older than Philip. While he is polite, he has no real interest in Mary. Mary, on the other hand, after a lifetime of no love interest, falls devotedly and jealously in love with Philip.

This love is both the greatest danger and the safety net for Elizabeth. Left to her own devices, Mary would put Elizabeth back in the Tower and take her life. Instead, to please Philip, she restrains herself, and even brings Elizabeth to court. This is a double-edged sword. While she pleases Philip, she now watches his every move intently, afraid that he will fall under Elizabeth's spell.

Elizabeth also faces the double-edged sword. She must please Philip enough to retain him as her protector and keep him interested in her, but at the same time, she must keep him at arm's length. An affair with Philip would end her life as it would be the one crime Mary would never forgive.

Margaret Irwin has written a trilogy about Elizabeth and this one is the third in the series. It easily stands alone, however, as there is little suspense in the story of the Tudors for most readers. Irwin's forte is characterization; her characters act in ways that are believable to the reader while retaining enough mystery to intrigue them. This book is recommended for readers of historical fiction.

This was such an unusual point of view for an Elizabethan novel. It is the third in Ms. Irwin's series on the young Elizabeth. Her books told her life before she became queen. I read the first one (Young Bess, reviewed HERE) and liked it but didn't love it. I did not have the opportunity to read the second. This one I found fascinating. I must admit to not knowing all that much about Philip of Spain and this book opened my eyes a bit to a man who was an important figure in Tudor times. Ms. Irwin's book postulates that Elizabeth may not have survived Mary's reign without Philip's intervention and that is very interesting to contemplate.


The book is not long and was very very easy to read. In this tale you see the beginnings of Elizabeth's years long dance of courtship while keeping all her suitors at bay. The book ends with her coronation.


I think it was the focus on the early relationship with Philip that made the book so interesting for me. With all the reading on Elizabeth I have done this was new territory. It is always enjoyable to explore new material.

ELIZABETH AND THE PRINCE OF SPAIN by Margaret Irwin is a historical fiction set in 1541 England.It is the final book in the Elizabeth I trilogy.See Young Bess and Elizabeth,Captive Princess.This is an intriguing story of Elizabeth,King Henry VIII's,daughter,the beheading of Anne Boleyn,and Phillip, the Prince of Spain.It has treachery,betrayal,sibling rivalry,tragedy,truimphs,the battle between King Henry VIII's daughters,danger to one sister through another sister's rule and jealousy.This is a compelling and captivating story of Tudor England. It will pull you into the Tudor era,a vanishing age and the danger of the era. This is a must read for fall Tudor England,and anyone who enjoys the King Henry VIII rule.This book was received for the purpose of review from the publisher.Details can be found Sourcebooks,Landmark,a division of Sourcebooks,Inc.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Originally published in 1953 this was the last book in Margaret Irwin's "Young Bess" series. Because it was written in an earlier era the book is not a racy bodice ripper - something that I appreciate. It's not that I'm a prude - but I do get a tad tired of the "sex sells" philosophy- especially in relation to good historical fiction writing.



This book revolves around Philip of Spain's relationship with Elizabeth. The staunch Catholic, philanderer (depending on your point of view I guess) and husband of Elizabeth's half sister Queen Mary, lusted for Elizabeth. This aspect of Elizabeth's life provides a fresh point of view which I quite liked. I think Ms. Irwin did an excellent job of portraying the historical context and the book is rife with court life details. It's a book that I enjoyed reading and thinking about all of the "what ifs" made for some interesting "grist for the mill".



I don't believe that I have read the first two books in this series - but would like to. It's a good stand alone book but reading it in series might be worthwhile. Sourcebooks does such a great job of bringing back some of "the best of the best". This is another highly recommended read for all historical history fans - especially those of us who love Elizabeth I .