Last month, ITV dropped a new historical ~ and royal ~ drama, The Lady. The mini-series retells the harrowing story of Jane Andrews, who was the royal dresser to Sarah Ferguson, formerly known as the Duchess of York, from 1988 to 1997.
The four episodes depict both the rise and fall of Andrews (played by Mia McKenna-Bruce), who left her humble life in Grimsby for a glamorous one at Buckingham Palace. For nine years, she mixed with Fergie (played by Natalie Dormer) and the highest in society, enjoying the perks that came with status and wealth. But things soon took a darker turn when she was convicted of murdering her boyfriend, Thomas Cressman, in 2001.
The series —which simultaneously spotlights Ferguson and her "inner workings"— has also caught the public's attention due to its release date. It dropped at a time of intense scrutiny for the former royal, due to her links to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
While ITV has confirmed that The Lady is partly fictionalised, but based on real events — the opening credits say the drama has been "inspired by a true story" — which parts actually happened, and which parts have been fabricated?
What's fact and what's fiction in The Lady?
Alongside the opening credits revealing the "true story" inspiration, ITV also penned that "some names have been changed and some characters, events and scenes have been created and merged for dramatic purposes."
Additionally, Harriet Wistrich, CEO of the Centre for Women's Justice, made a statement before the drama's release. Wistrich, who represented Andrews during her appeal, noted that she had not contributed to The Lady in any way. She also stated that Andrews has never contributed to any of the other documentaries made about her.
Wistrich added: "The public are thus presented with a one-sided view that fails to explore why a vulnerable woman in her circumstances may have been driven to kill."
Take a look at what's fact and fiction below:
Fact: Andrews' royal role
Andrews was Sarah Ferguson's royal dresser. At age 21, while working as a children's clothes designer at Marks & Spencer, she responded to an anonymous advertisement in The Lady magazine for a personal dresser. Ferguson interviewed Andrews six months later, and she started the job four days after.
Fact: The murder
In September 2000, Jane Andrews murdered her partner, Thomas Cressman. Cressman, who was an ex-stockbroker, was attacked with a cricket bat and fatally stabbed by Andrews at their Fulham flat. The prosecution called Andrews a "woman scorned" and said that her motive was because Cressman reportedly refused to marry her.
Fact: Andrews went on the run
It's true that, following the murder of Cressman, Andrews went on the run. She was found days later in Cornwall, having overdosed in her car. Andrews survived, and was later arrested and charged with Cressman's murder after a police interrogation.
What's not shown in the show (but is very much a true story) is Andrews' escape from prison. After being sentenced to life in 2001, she began her sentence at HM Prison Bullwood Hall in Hockley, Essex. After nine years, she was transferred to HM Prison East Sutton Park, a women's open prison, where she escaped. She was found three days later in a hotel room and was not charged with absconding.
Fiction: Dramatised elements
As stated by ITV, The Lady has been dramatised. Despite being based on court reports, many conversations (particularly between Andrews and Ferguson) were created for dramatic effect. Therefore, they may not be historically accurate.
What has Thomas Cressman's family said about The Lady?
Thomas Cressman's brother, Rick, has also weighed in on the drama — specifically opening up about its dramatisation. Rick told the BBC that he had been "tearful" watching the show, and that it's a "problem to fictionalise a genuine living story we're living and breathing."
He added: "Particularly for myself, it's been a changing scenario over 25 years... Our family's here and I've always tried to cope with a lot of the intrusions that we've had to cope with.
"For our family, we don't get a tariff on our sentence of 12 years or 14 years or whatever and our sentence is a genuine life sentence losing Tommy."
Left Bank Pictures, which produced The Lady, revealed they had contacted the Cressman family before filming began. A spokesperson said: "The production company also held a private screening of all four episodes of the series for the family ahead of transmission on ITV to which Polly Hill, ITV's Director of Drama, attended and talked to them about their concerns."
They continued: "The aim has always been to approach the story with great care and responsibility, and to respect the people involved and we feel we have achieved this."
The Lady is available to watch on ITV1 and ITVX.
