lady

The Lady is a four-part limited series delving into the rise and fall of the former Duchess of York’s royal aide.

The Lady is set to grip ITV viewers with the royal true crime drama brought to life by the same producers of Netflix’s award-winning The Crown.

For weeks now, ITV has been teasing the release of The Lady, a true rags to riches tale that ends in convicted murder.

Sarah Ferguson’s former dresser Jane Andrews worked for the royal for nine years. Three years after she was let go, she murdered her boyfriend Thomas Cressman.

But how did she go from rubbing shoulders with those at Buckingham Palace to spending her days behind bars as a killer?

Here’s everything there is to know about The Lady on ITV as fans don’t have long before the drama drops.

ITV The Lady release date

The wait is almost over for the grand debut of The Lady with the limited series premiering on Sunday, February 22, on ITV and ITVX.

The Lady will consist of four episodes with instalments one and two airing on Sunday, February 22, and Monday, February 23, and episodes three and four the following Sunday and Monday.

Alternatively, fans can binge-watch the entire series on the day of its initial release via the free streamer ITVX.

ITV The Lady cast

At the heart of ITV’s The Lady is Jane Andrews, the working-class woman from Grimsby who got a chance of a lifetime when she was hired to work as Sarah Ferguson’s royal dresser before her life spiralled out of control.

She is brought to life by actress Mia McKenna-Bruce who has starred in How To Have Sex, The Fence, Get Even and Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials on Netflix.

McKenna-Bruce is joined by actor Ed Speleers – famed for his roles as Stephen Bonnet in Outlander, Jimmy Kent in Downton Abbey and Rhys Montrose in You on Netflix – who plays Jane’s boyfriend and victim Thomas Cressman.

Meanwhile, Sarah Ferguson is portrayed by actress Natalie Dormer, remembered for playing Margaery Tyrell in HBO’s Game of Thrones and Anne Boleyn in The Tudors on Channel 4.

What to expect from The Lady on ITV

Described as a “working-class girl from Grimsby”, Jane Andrews’ life changed forever when she answered an advertisement in the magazine The Lady.

Much to her surprise, she was hired to become the former Duchess of York’s official dresser at Buckingham Palace.

However, no one expected that following her time working for the royals that Jane would go on to murder her boyfriend Thomas Cressman, hitting him with a cricket bat before stabbing him in the chest.

Writer and executive producer Debbie O’Malley commented: “There’s a saying that ‘truth is stranger than fiction.’

“I’m not sure I’d always agree but when I first heard about the case of Jane Andrews, it was immediately clear that her true story was every bit as intriguing, compelling and tragically heartbreaking as any fabricated thriller.

“The fascinating tale of a working-class girl who became the dresser to a duchess, with a dramatic twist that ultimately sees her on trial for murder.

“This story looks beyond the headlines while remaining high stakes and uniquely British.

“It also poses thought-provoking questions about class and entitlement whilst exploring issues around mental health that have never been more relevant than they are today.”

The Lady premieres on Sunday, February 22, at 9pm on ITV.

Song Of The Year

Billie Eilish – Wildflower

Record Of The Year

Kendrick Lamar feat SZA – Luther

Album Of The Year

Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos

Best New Artist

Olivia Dean

Best pop vocal album

Lady Gaga – Mayhem

Best pop solo performance

Lola Young – Messy

Best pop duo/group performance

Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande – Defying Gravity

Best dance/electronic recording

Tame Impala – End Of Summer

Best dance/electronic album

FKA Twigs – Eusexua

Best dance/pop recording

Lady Gaga – Abracadabra

Best traditional pop vocal album

Laufey – A Matter Of Time

Best Latin pop album

Natalia Lafourcade – Cancionera

Best música urbana album

Bad Bunny – DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS

Best rock performance

Yungblud ft Nuno Bettencourt, Frank Bello, Adam Wakeman, II – Changes (Live From Villa Park) Back To The Beginning

Best rock song

Nine Inch Nails – As Alive As You Need Me To Be

Best rock album

Turnstile – Never Enough

Best alternative music album

The Cure – Songs Of A Lost World

Best alternative music performance

The Cure – Alone

Best metal performance

Turnstile – Birds

Best rap performance

Clipse, Pusha T & Malice feat Kendrick Lamar & Pharrell Williams – Chains & Whips

Best melodic rap performance

Kendrick Lamar with SZA – Luther

Best rap song

Kendrick Lamar feat Lefty Gunplay – TV Off

Best rap album

Kendrick Lamar – GNX

Best country solo performance

Chris Stapleton – Bad As I Used To Be

Best country duo/group performance

Shaboozey & Jelly Roll – Amen

Best country song

Tyler Childers – Bitin’ List

Best contemporary country album

Jelly Roll – Beautifully Broken

Best R&B performance

Kehlani – Folded

Best R&B song

Kehlani – Folded

Best R&B album

Leon Thomas – Mutt

Best African music performance

Tyla – Push 2 Start

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

Cirkut (Lady Gaga, Rosé, Jade)

Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical

Amy Allen (Rosé, Jennie, Sabrina Carpenter)

Best Comedy Album

Nate Bargatze – Your Friend, Nate Bargatze

Best compilation soundtrack for visual media

Sinners – Various artists

Best score soundtrack for visual media (includes film and televison)

Ludwig Göransson – Sinners

Best score soundtrack for video games and other interactive media

Austin Wintory – Sword of the Sea

Best song written for visual media

Huntr/x – Golden (From K-Pop Demon Hunters)

Best audiobook narration

Dalai Lama – Meditations: The Reflections Of His Holiness The Dalai Lama

Best music video

Doechii – Anxiety

Best Music Film

John Williams – Music by John Williams

Best Jazz Vocal Album

Samara Joy – Portrait

Best Jazz Instrumental Album

Sullivan Fortner feat Peter Washington and Marcus Gilmore – Southern Nights

Best Alternative Jazz Album

Nate Smith – Live-Action

Best Jazz Performance

Chich Corea, Christian McBride and Brian Blade – Windows

Best Musical Theatre Album

Buena Vista Social Club

Best Opera Recording

Heggie: Intelligence – Kwame Ryan, conductor (Houston Grand Opera; Gene Scheer)

Best Orchestral Performance

Messiaen: Turangalila-Symphonie-Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)

A court sentenced former first lady Kim Keon Hee to one year and eight months in prison Wednesday after finding her guilty of accepting luxury bribes from the Unification Church that had sought business favors.

Special counsel Min Joong-ki’s team had sought a 15-year prison term for Kim, the wife of ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who stands trial on an insurrection charge related to his martial law bid in 2024.

But the Seoul Central District Court handed down the far shorter prison term for Kim, acquitting her of charges of involvement in a stock manipulation scheme and violating the Political Funds Act.

The court also ordered Kim to forfeit 12.8 million won (US$8,988). With Wednesday’s ruling, Kim and her husband have become the country’s first presidential couple to be imprisoned with criminal convictions.

The court said it found Kim guilty of receiving luxury goods, such as a Chanel bag and a high-end Graff necklace, from the Unification Church, which had sought business favors from her.

“The defendant misused her position as a means to seek profit,” the court said. “(She) failed to reject high-end luxury goods shared in connection with the Unification Church’s requests and focused on her own adornment.”

Kim had been charged with conspiring with a former head of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in South Korea, as well as a close associate, to manipulate the company’s stock price and make 810 million won in illegal profits between 2010 and 2012.

She was also indicted for violating the Political Funds Act for allegedly receiving free opinion polls worth 270 million won, together with her husband, from a self-proclaimed power broker ahead of the 2022 presidential election.

The former first lady was additionally charged with conspiring with a shaman to receive luxury gifts worth 80 million won from a Unification Church official in 2022, along with requests for business favors.

Kim, who has been held in custody since August, had denied all of the charges.

Yoon has been sentenced to five years in prison on charges stemming from his martial law bid in 2024. He is also standing trial on more charges, including leading an insurrection through his martial law decree.

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Kim Keon Hee’s husband, Yoon Suk Yeol, is potentially facing the death penalty over his role in declaring martial law in 2024 while president.

A South Korean court has sentenced former First Lady Kim Keon Hee to one year and eight months in prison after finding her guilty of accepting bribes from the Unification Church, according to South Korea’s official Yonhap news agency.

The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday cleared Kim, the wife of disgraced ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol, of additional charges of stock price manipulation and violating the political funds act.

Kim was accused of receiving bribes and lavish gifts from businesses and politicians, as well as the Unification Church, totalling at least $200,000.

The prosecution team had also indicted Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja, now on ‌trial, after the religious group was suspected of giving Kim valuables, including two Chanel handbags and a diamond necklace, as part ‌of its efforts to win influence with the president’s wife.

Prosecutors in December said Kim had “stood above the law” and colluded with the religious sect to undermine “the constitutionally mandated separation of religion and state”.

Prosecutor Min Joong-ki also said South Korea’s institutions were “severely undermined by abuses of power” committed by Kim.

The former first lady had denied all the charges, claiming the allegations against her were “deeply unjust” in her final testimony last month.

But she has also apologised for “causing trouble despite being a person of no importance”.

“When I consider my role and the responsibilities entrusted to me, it seems clear that I have made many mistakes,” she said in December.

Kim’s husband, the country’s former President Yoon, was ousted from office last year and has been sentenced to five years in prison for actions related to his short and disastrous declaration of martial law in December 2024.

Yoon could still be facing the death penalty in a separate case.

In 2023, hidden camera footage appeared to show Kim accepting a $2,200 luxury handbag in what was later dubbed the “Dior bag scandal”, further dragging down then-President Yoon’s already dismal approval ratings.

The scandal contributed to a stinging defeat for Yoon’s party in general elections in April 2024, as it failed to win back a parliamentary majority.

Yoon vetoed three opposition-backed bills to investigate allegations against Kim, including the Dior bag case, with the last veto in November 2024.

A week later, he declared martial law.

Kim’s sentencing comes days after former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was sentenced to 23 years in prison – eight years longer than prosecutors demanded – for aiding and abetting Yoon’s suspension of civilian rule.