From palace to prison

Once a cherished royal aide, Jane Andrews was later jailed for the murder of her partner

- WORDS: LAUREN MORRIS

close to Sarah Mia Kenna-Bruce Jane

When Sarah Ferguson's former royal dresser Jane Andrews was convicted of stabbing her partner to death while he slept, the world was stunned. Now, ITV is exploring how Jane went from Buckingham Palace to HM Prison Bullwood Hall in new drama The Lady.

The 2000 murder dominated headlines, but actress Mia McKenna-Bruce admits she didn’t know much about Jane’s story — and didn’t want to before playing her.

“I didn't watch any documentaries,” the 28-year-old says. “I made a decision early on that I wanted to work with what writer Debbie O'Malley had created. I didn’t want to come in with my own biases or ideas, I just wanted to tell the story that we were telling. I'm a sucker for documentaries as well, so I would have loved to dive into those.”

The drama follows Jane as she leaves behind the mental health struggles of her teenage years in Grimsby for a job as a dresser for Sarah, Duchess of York in 1988.

Bubbly and upbeat, Bromley-born Mia couldn't be more different to her portrayal of Jane, but she admits there were moments in her story that “felt familiar” to her.