Queen Charlotte, Netflix’s hotly anticipated Bridgerton prequel, is finally here, and its earning rave reviews.
Starring India Amarteifio as a young Queen Charlotte and Corey Mylchreest as a young King George, Queen Charlotte tells the origin story of their romance, setting the scene for the steamy, Regency-era Bridgerton series that took the world by storm.
Prior to the prequel series, Bridgerton viewers have only met King George as an unwell old man, who seems to be experiencing some sort of dementia.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is set to provide viewers with a better understanding of who King George was before becoming ill, while exploring the early days of the couple’s relationship.
While we impatiently wait for season three of the regency drama, here’s everything else that you need to know about Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story—from the plot to its cast and release date.
Everything We Know About ‘Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’
Any fan of Bridgerton would know that the Regency era series centres around each season’s ‘diamond’ and their quest for a betrothed.
Clearly, that romantic storyline is working for the Netflix hit because fans are still fawning over the enemies-to-lovers trope between Viscount Anthony and Kate Sharma.
But why stop there? There are a plethora of characters in the series who play the same vital role, yet we don’t know much about them or their history, one of those very people being Queen Charlotte (played by Golda Rosheuvel).
While we know the real-life monarch that her character was based on, Netflix has decided to dive into the latter’s history with a prequel series recounting the royal’s origin story, including her youth and love life, aptly titled Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
Along with Queen Charlotte, the spinoff series will also follow the origin stories of Violet Bridgerton and Lady Danbury, both played by Ruth Gemmell and Adjoa Andoh in Bridgerton respectively.
“Many viewers had never known the story of Queen Charlotte before Bridgerton brought her to the world, and I’m thrilled this new series will further expand her story and the world of Bridgerton,” Netflix’s Head of Global TV, Bela Bajaria, said in a statement.
“Shonda [Rhimes] and her team are thoughtfully building out the Bridgerton universe, so they can keep delivering for the fans with the same quality and style they love,” Bajaria continued.
“And by planning and prepping all the upcoming seasons now, we also hope to keep up a pace that will keep even the most insatiable viewers totally fulfilled.”
What Is The Plot Of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story?
As previously mentioned, the Bridgerton spin off series will serve as a prequel, showing fans the origin stories of Queen Charlotte, Violet Bridgerton and Lady Danbury.
Set to be written and executive produced by Grey’s Anatomy‘s Shonda Rhimes, Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz’s much-loved story will live on.
“As we continue to expand the world of Bridgerton, we now have the opportunity to devote even more of the Shondaland fold to the Bridgerton-verse,” Rhimes said.
Married to King George III, AKA ‘Mad King George’, Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz ruled for almost six decades. However, she passed away in 1818 at the age of 74. According to Bridgerton author Julia Quinn, Netflix purposely cast her role with a Black actress as historians believe the real-life queen was of African descent.
“We’re going to still be in the world of Bridgerton. We’re not moving away from the world that we know and love Queen Charlotte to be in,” Rosheuvel added.
“I think it’s really going to be interesting to see where she has come from and the things that have led her to her in the Bridgerton that we know and love.”
To ease our woes, Netflix released its first official look at the limited series, Bridgerton spinoff, during the streaming platform’s Tudum fan event on September 24.
As per the official synopsis from Netflix, the platform describes the series as being “centered on Queen Charlotte’s rise to prominence and power”. But aside from her personal rise to the top, audiences will get to learn about “how the young Queen’s marriage to King George sparked both a great love story and a societal shift, creating the world of the Ton inherited by the characters in Bridgerton.”
In the two-minute clip, a young Charlotte can be seen trying to climb a garden wall to escape her property. But when someone spots her attempting to flee, she explains that her reason for leaving is because she believes her betrothed to be a “beast or a troll”, little does she know that the man she is speaking to is the King himself.
Curious? Be sure to check out the first look at the Bridgerton spinoff below.
WATCH BELOW: Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story teaser.
Who Will Be Cast In Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story?
Even though the spinoff series will be set before our beloved Bridgerton, there seems to be several current cast mates who will be appearing on the show. But who? Well, it seems like Rosheuvel, Gemmell and Andoh will be present.
In an interview with E! News, Rosheuvel teased that “You will be seeing a younger Queen Charlotte”, adding, “I will be in it”.
On July 8 2022, it was announced that Connie Jenkins-Greig will be taking on the role of Violet Ledger (AKA young Violet Bridgerton). She’s also yet to fall in love with Lord Bridgerton, Per Deadline, she’s yet to fall in love with Lord Bridgerton and is a “kind and inquisitive teenager” who hasn’t yet entered “the marriage mart”.
As for Amarteifio (young Queen Charlotte), the 21-year-old is rather new to the acting world, however, she has earned herself an impressive resume including the likes of Line of Duty, The Evermoor Chronicles and The Tunnel.
Other newcomers to the Ton include Michelle Fairley as Princess Augusta, Corey Mylchreest as Young King George and Arsema Thomas as Young Agatha Danbury. S
Will Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story Be Based On Julia Quinn’s Books?
Given that Queen Charlotte was not a character in the Bridgerton books, there’s a good chance that the spinoff series will not include any connection to the show’s novel series.
“I haven’t read the books and I made a point of not reading the books because the Queen is not in them,” Rosheuvel told People.
“My point of call was really about the scripts, the world that we put Queen Charlotte in. This historical person is being put into a new world, so how does she relate? How does she react? How does she live her life within the world of Bridgerton, within the world that Chris Van Dusen and Shondaland have created?”
Despite this, Violet Bridgerton’s origin story was briefly dived into in the story, “Violet in Bloom”, which sits in the collection The Bridgertons: Happily Ever. This means that her storyline could be influenced by that piece of Quinn’s writing.
“I have always felt that I could not write a full-length novel about Violet and Edmund Bridgerton, despite countless request[s] from readers,” Quinn wrote on her website.
“I thought (and still think) it would be too difficult, knowing that he would die so young. But I wanted to show a bit of their courtship, and the episodic nature of Violet in Bloom gave me the perfect opportunity to do this.”
When Can We Watch Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story?
Queen Charlottte premiered on May 4, 2023 on Netflix to rave reviews, with Variety calling it “the best Bridgerton yet” and The Guardian describing it as a “ravishing, romp-packed prequel”. Heaven.
We’ll be watching while desperately waiting for news of Bridgerton season three.
