Royal aide drama The Lady confirms cast: Mia McKenna-Bruce, Game of Thrones and Outlander stars

Ed Speleers, known for his roles in Outlander and You, will play Thomas Cressman, Jane's boyfriend who she was jailed for killing.

While their character details have not yet been revealed, we know that the cast will also include the likes of Philip Glenister, Claire Skinner, Laura Aikman, Ophelia Lovibond, Mark Stanley, Daniel Ryan and Sean Teale.

McKenna-Bruce won the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2024 for her leading role in How to Have Sex and is also set to lead new Agatha Christie series, The Seven Dials Mystery.

As for The Lady, the new drama is based on true events surrounding Andrews's story but is partly fictionalised, with the synopsis reading: "The Lady charts the rise and fall of former royal dresser Jane Andrews, whose rags to riches fairy tale fell apart when she was convicted of murder.

"Once a young working-class girl, Jane answered an advertisement in a magazine and to the astonishment of her friends and family, became the Duchess of York’s dresser at Buckingham Palace."

It continues: "Moving amongst the highest social circles in Britain, Jane managed to secure a place in the upper-classes, only to lose her job with the Duchess after nine years of service.

"Still reeling from her fall from grace, Jane went on to meet charismatic businessman Thomas Cressman and fell deeply in love. Soon cracks began to develop in the romance Jane had pinned all her hopes on, with disastrous consequences."

The news of the series was initially announced back in December 2024, confirming that it is being produced by Left Bank Pictures (The Crown), written by Debbie O’Malley (Payback, Harlots) and directed by Lee Haven Jones (Passenger).

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Jane worked as a dresser and aide to Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York (often referred to as 'Fergie') at Buckingham Palace, but lost her job in 1997. In 2001, Jane was found guilty of the murder of her boyfriend Thomas Cressman and sentenced to life imprisonment. She was released from prison in 2019.

On the news of the series back in December, senior ITV drama commissioner, Helen Ziegler, said: "Debbie's compelling and brilliant scripts re-evaluate what we think we know of Jane Andrews and the events that led to the tragic end of Thomas Cressman's life.

"We are thrilled to be working with the Left Bank team to bring this complex exploration of class, celebrity, ambition and identity to ITV and ITVX."

Writer Debbie O’Malley also said: "When Jane Andrews was tried for the murder of Thomas Cressman in 2001 it made headlines around the world. But behind those headlines, lay a much more complex, painful and thought-provoking story – an exploration of female ambition and human frailty and a devastating chain of events that ended in the taking of a man's life.

"And this story, tied up with our national preoccupation with class and our ongoing obsession with the royal family, feels every bit as relevant now as it did 20 years ago."

The Lady will air on ITV1 and ITVX in the UK.

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