At this very moment, you’re no doubt brimming with excitement over your rad long weekend plans or simply keen as for an extra day of chill.
But before you cut loose and head off to whatever fun festivities you’ve teed up, I reckon we oughta say a big fat THANK YOU to Queen Elizabeth for being born and blessing us with an annual day off.
To celebrate ol’ Lizzie’s birthday, here’s some of the greatest television shows now streaming on Stan based on the life of the royals.
The Royals
As anyone who follows tabloid news would know, the life of a royal isn’t all coronations and canapés and literally every member of the royal fam has been embroiled in a scandal of some sort.
So if you’re more into the spicy side of things, I recommend whacking on The Royals as it tells the story of a fictional royal family and the scandalous, chaotic shit that they get up to.
Aussie actress Alexandra Park and British babe Peter Moseley (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) portray the problematic princess and prince of the series and Liz Hurley plays their calculating mother.
Binge-watch all four seasons only on Stan.
Reign
A powerful period drama series that, despite being set in the 16th century, is still totally relevant to us in today’s society as it conveys the struggles that women in power face.
Reign tells the story of Mary Queen of Scots’ (Adelaide Kane) rise to power against all odds including changing politics and power plays.
Interestingly, despite being set in the UK, the show features several Aussie stars like Kane, Ben Geurens and celebrated Neighbours star Caitlin Stasey.
All four seasons of The CW series are now streaming on Stan.
The White Queen
The first black cab off the rank in the slew of royal miniseries that would later spawn The White Princess and The Spanish Princess, The White Queen is a 10-episode show based on Philippa Gregory’s 2013 novel of the same name.
The series is told from the perspective of Elizabeth Woodville (Rebecca Ferguson), Margaret Beaufort (Amanda Hale) and Anne Neville (Faye Marsay) as they scheme their way onto the British throne.
The White Queen was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards and a People’s Choice Award.
The White Princess
A sequel to The White Queen, The White Princess follows Elizabeth of York, the White Queen’s daughter, and her marriage to the Lancaster victor, Henry VII.
In the eight-episode series, the aforementioned marriage of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York ends the Wars of the Roses by uniting the houses of Lancaster and York, causing a whole lotta peril which sucks for them but is incredibly spicy for us.
It was inspired by Philippa Gregory’s 2013 novel and, to a lesser extent, its sequel The King’s Curse.
The Spanish Princess is considered to be a continuation of this series so add it to your list when you’re done with these two.
The Spanish Princess
Stan‘s brand new period drama is the third instalment in the ~divine~ royal saga.
It tells the story of the sassy teenage princess of Spain named Catherine of Aragon (Charlotte Hope) who travels to England to claim her throne until a major obstacle blocks her path to royalty.
She then hatches a clever plan to reclaim the throne from its new heir, Prince Harry who will one day rule as King Henry VIII (Elliot Cowan).
The series was met with glowing reviews from critics, so much so that an additional eight episodes were recently ordered to continue Catherine’s story.
Suss the trailer below and head to Stan to stream the first few eps.
The Tudors
An epic four-season historical drama set in the 16th-century Kingdom of England which, admittedly, is a similar premise to the aforementioned shows but if you watch The Tudors for one thing (aside from the divine drama), let it be for its actors.
The Tudors boasts an incredibly stacked cast including Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Aussie Sam Neill, Henry Cavill, Natalie Dormer and more.
If you don’t already, prepare to develop a major crush on Jonathan and Henry as we’re blessed with loads of ~steamy~ scenes throughout the course of the series.
you’re welcome
