Everything we know about Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

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We have a title: Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story! Now watch the trailer to get a peek at the new series:

What is Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story about?  

All hail Queen Charlotte!
For her next series, Lady @ShondaRhimes will chronicle Her Majesty's rise to prominence and esteemed power in a prequel that shall witness Golda Rosheuvel reprise her role and India Amarteifio join the Ton as young Queen Charlotte. pic.twitter.com/SELpiMdnDc

— Bridgerton (@bridgerton) March 30, 2022

The new series will be about Queen Charlotte’s “rise to prominence and esteemed power”, showing the Queen’s origins and romance with the King ❤️  

Played by Golda Rosheuvel, Queen Charlotte is a key player in the Bridgerton series, the gossip-hungry Queen ruling over the ton. But behind her glamorous balls, devious schemes and gravity-defying hair, the Queen’s story with King George is integral to the whole story of Bridgerton, their romance the foundation of the diverse society which is a big part of what gives the series its refreshing flair.  

Shonda Rhimes will be writing the new series, charting the Queen’s rise to power. As well as looking at the young Queen, we will also see a young Violet Bridgerton finding her feet before becoming the  Bridgerton matriarch that we know today, and the fearsome (but wonderful) Lady Danbury in her young married life.  

The cast of the Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

A few key cast members have been announced for the Bridgerton spin off, including who will play the younger Queen Charlotte... You’ll also spot a few familiar faces from Bridgerton who will also be reprising their roles! 

• India Amarteifio as young Queen Charlotte, who captures the heart of the King as his unlikely bride, changing the British Royal Family and the entire ton.  

• Golda Rosheuvel will reprise her iconic role as Queen Charlotte 

• Arsema Thomas will play the younger Agatha Danbury, giving us a glimpse at another key character’s origin story 

• Adjoa Andoh will also be back as Lady Agatha Danbury, yay!  

• Cyril Nri will appear as Lord Danbury, giving us a look at young Lady Danbury’s marriage 

• Ruth Gemmell will play Violet, Dowager Countess Bridgerton, though her younger counterpart has not yet been announced 

• Corey Mylchreest will take up the role of young King George III, Queen Charlotte’s suitor who we have only seen glimpses of in the current Bridgerton series 

• James Fleet will continue to play the elder King George III, who famously “went mad” in his later years  

• Michelle Fairley as Dowager Princess Augusta 

• Hugh Sachs as Brimsley 

• Sam Clemmett as young Brimsley  

When is the Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story release date? 

After the spin-off was announced in 2021, we had a long wait to find out when we could actually watch the show, but we have good news!

Fittingly, Netflix choose Valentine's Day 2023 to announce that Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story will be available to watch on 4th May 2023!

The real Queen Charlotte 

In Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte’s reimagined character is the first Black monarch, uniting all different races of the ton for a more diverse society than we’ve seen before in Regency romances. Lady Danbury confirmed this when she said in season 1 that it is because of the King and Queen’s love that she and the Duke of Hastings have their prestigious positions.  

The question of the real Queen Charlotte’s heritage has come under debate in recent years by historians, with many wondering if she may have had Black ancestory given historic descriptions of her and her portraits, which some have said have “African” features. While nothing has been officially proven on the Queen’s heritage, it’s definitely a fascinating theory that captured the imaginations of the show creators. Showrunner Chris Van Dusen has said, 

"Our take on race in the series is an example of how we mixed history within a fictional world... Bridgerton is not a colourblind world. That would imply race isn't considered. Race is considered, and there are many historians who believe that Queen Charlotte was England's first mixed-race queen. That theory resonated with us hugely. 

What if Queen Charlotte was recognized as being of mixed-race in 1813? What would that look like? What would happen? What if this Queen of England used her power to elevate other people of colour in that society? And that's where the fictional part came in." 

In fact, Queen Charlotte didn’t feature in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton novels. It was a decision from Shonda Rhimes to add her into the show, giving more depth to the diverse Regency reimagining. And with good reason - the real Queen Charlotte, aka Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, was as much of a character as Bridgerton’s reimagining. The real German princess was one of the first to see the talent of a young Mozart, a keen botanist and anti-slavery advocate. The royal couple also had 15 children, suggesting a pretty happy marriage...  

However, King George III suffered from bouts of severe mental illness which meant he was considered unfit to rule in his later life. Now, historians believe these mental health issues could have been caused by porphyria, a hereditary physical disorder. We see just glimpses of the King and Queen’s relationship in the show due to this illness, but hints of their affection for each other are still evident, so we’re excited to see the origins of their love and romance when the King was in his right mind.  

Bridgerton showrunner Chris Van Dusen has clarified that “Bridgerton isn’t a history lesson. Our show is for a modern audience, featuring modern themes and characters, so we took liberties in our re-imagining.” 

Indeed, it’s the modern additions that make the show different from classic Regency romance. Everything from the racy modernised fashion to the classical covers of modern pop hits and steamy scenes gives Bridgerton a fresh feel to a story we all recognise from Jane Austen classics – love and romance in “polite” Regency society. The diverse cast is a huge part of this, seen again in season 2 as the Sharmas travel from India to the ton.