Walt Whitman called Lillie Langtry the essence of poetry. James Whistler confessed that even he couldn’t capture her beauty in a painting. And George Bernard Shaw declared her intelligent, daring, and independent. In a BAFTA-winning performance hailed by critics, the incandescently beautiful Francesca Annis (Madame Bovary, Reckless, Cranford) portrays the acclaimed British actress and courtesan from the blush of youth to still-glorious old age. At a time when society expected women to be docile and demure, Lillie posed for celebrity endorsements, conducted her own business affairs, and paid her first husband to keep his distance. Even more scandalously, she openly entertained a string of lovers among Europe’s elite, including the very married Prince of Wales all while managing to win the respect and admiration of his wife. With its splendid cast and exquisite production elements, Lillie vividly captures the complex woman who became one of the most infamous figures of the Victorian age.
Based on the book “The Prince and the Lily” by James Brough, this series is about the life of Lillie Langtry, the Jersey girl who had Victorian high society gawping and gossiping as the mistress of the Prince of Wales, later to be Edward VII. She was the only woman Oscar Wilde ever loved; the woman who sent King Leopold of the Belgians packing when he tried to make love to her at breakfast; the woman who created such a sensation that Society ladies stood to catch a glimpse of her.
Shown on PBS Masterpiece Theatre.