Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

 

 

Even with the popularity of Bridgerton and the anticipation for season 3, I don't think anyone could have expected the absolute success of the prequel series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story which centers on the young Queen Charlotte and her early marriage to King George III. When the show premiered on Netflix in early May it literally took the world by the storm. After viewing a few clips from the show, my mind was made up and I finally sat down and binge watched season one and season two of Bridgerton in one week!

London, 1817: After the death of her daughter in law, Princess Charlotte of Wales, daughter of the King George IV and heir to the throne, Queen Charlotte finds herself in trouble. Despite having 15 children, her offspring have failed in producing a single legitimate heir to the throne. It doesn't help that the notorious Lady Whistledown continues with her salacious commentary making the situation more dire each day. 

While dealing with the pressures of keeping a kingdom together, not to mention her own family, Charlotte reflects on her earlier life when she was just Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. And how at 17 years old, she left her small home to marry a man she had never met and become queen of the greatest nation on earth. 

London, 1671: Beautiful, intelligent and stubborn, Princess Charlotte refuses to subject herself to England's way of life upon her arrival. However that slowly subsides when she meets the king, her future husband or Just George. George's warmth and kindness (not to mention his good looks) gives Charlotte a sense of hope and encourages her to not run away but rather run toward what she doesn't realize she's capable of.  

What may have started out as a fairy tale turns to a nightmare very quickly. George exhibits odd and secretive behavior and despite his early affections to Charlotte, he hides away leaving her to navigate her life as a young queen on her own.

If George's behavior is hidden it's for a good reason. He suffers from a type of schizophrenic madness that comes when he is stressed or overstimulated. This could spell disaster if it was ever discovered. A court doctor promises him that he can cure him of this ailment, but his methods are far from humane. Now Charlotte is the only person that can save both George and his empire; and if not for the throne then only for her love for the king. 

 

London, 1761: When Charlotte becomes the first black queen to come to the throne, the Great Experiment of the ton is put into place. Well to do people of African descent are invited to become the Queen's court, given titles, peerages, land and unexpected wealth and are encouraged to mix with the white population of the ton. Is it possible that these two different cultures can coincide together, now that there is a 'different looking' Queen on the throne? Young Agatha Danbury who has a loveless marriage finds herself in the throws of power and majesty when she is named a lady in waiting to the queen. Agatha soon becomes Charlotte's most trusted confident as well as a representative to her once hidden people. 

 

London, 1761: Sweet Lady Violet Ledger dreams of romance and happiness in her rather boring home. Her loving father denies her nothing while her cold mother keeps her at a distance. When Queen Charlotte comes to the throne, she is fascinated by such a sudden change and becomes even more fascinated by the beautiful Lady Danbury, who overtime will become her closest friend and advisor. 

London, 1817: As both Violet and Agatha comfort Queen Charlotte during her trials, both begin to realize the importance of their friendship that has spanned over half a century. Through births, deaths, marriages, children and godchildren, the joys and scandals of the ton society, neither could have survived without the others constant support.

 

As with Bridgerton, much of this story is fictionalized (of which the creators make clear in the very beginning). Charlotte may have had some Moorish descent but nothing beyond that is known about her skin color, therefore the Great Experiment itself is also fictionalized. One element that was 100% factual was George himself. His illness is what earned him the title Mad King George and was the primary factor to his son taking over as king regent, (hence why that time period is called the Regency era). In spite of George's illness, he was a genius with a fascination for science, astronomy and agriculture (earning him the more endearing nickname Farmer George). 

 

He also loved Charlotte very much and thankfully their love story is the most truthful element in the whole series.