Mother-in-law fights fuel engaging drama

Forget those dust-ups between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in “Feud”: If you want to see a real battle royal, check out the warring mothers-in-law who make the new period drama “The White Princess” worth watching.

The limited series premieres Sunday on Starz — and, like “The White Queen” of a few seasons ago, it is based on a novel of the same name by Philippa Gregory.

“The White Princess” is one of the six novels of historical fiction by Gregory focusing on the British royal houses of the Plantagenets, Tudors and Lancasters.

The story centers on Elizabeth of York (Jodie Comer) whose family’s claim to the throne was dashed by the defeat of Richard III at Bosworth Field by the Tudors.

Elizabeth is supposed to marry the Tudor prince destined to become Henry VII (Jacob Collins-Levy) to unite the country. But they despise each other in ways that suggest the romance could turn out like “Taming of the Shrew,” except that Elizabeth isn’t about to be “tamed.”

The real hook for the show is the battle of will and wiliness between Elizabeth’s mother, Dowager Queen Elizabeth Woodville (Essie Davis), and Lady Margaret Beaufort (Michelle Fairley), mother of Henry.

The show really should have been called “The Mothers-inLaw,” except that very little “law” is observed as Woodville and Beaufort connive and conspire against each other.

The show also has a subplot about the fate of Woodville’s sons, who were ensconced in the Tower of London by Richard III, their uncle.

“The White Princess” centers on sex, murder, death, jealousy and intrigue — and it covers all those topics with enough flair to make the series entertaining.