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Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story just dropped on Netflix, and the swoon-worthy romance has taken the internet by storm. Many are helming the show as the best Bridgerton show so far because of its diversity and the topics it delves into, like the “madness” of King George and racial issues of that time.
Usually, Bridgerton tells the story of wooing that finds fruition in marriage. However, matrimony happens very early on in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, so the new dynamic is interesting to see for many fans.
The titular ruler of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is also a real historical personage who bears much historical importance. She is an important figure not only as the wife of the “mad king” but also because of her racial heritage, which is still shrouded in much mystery. It would be interesting to see how the layers of this personage are portrayed in the show.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story: 5 things to keep in mind about the Netflix series
1) Race will be a central point of the story
Bridgerton has been touted for championing a diverse racial profile when it comes to its characters and cast. In both the series' seasons, the two main protagonists were people of color, and there are many lead characters and casts who belonged to the community as well, the main of them being Queen Charlotte herself.
Adjoa Andoh, who plays Lady Danbury, gave some insight to Unbothered on NAACP Image Awards about how Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story will tackle race:
“[Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story] is going to be fabulous because Shonda Rhimes has taken the story we already know, and she's [flipped] the lens of it and gone ‘what if we look at the backstory?’ You see what happens when a young — true to history —- mixed race woman ends up in the court of the English aristocracy. What happens? How does she navigate [that world]?”
Andoh also told Refinery29.com that race will be a much more central motive in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story:
“In this show, [race] is much more central in the narrative... You see what happens when a young mixed race woman ends up in the court of the English aristocracy. What happens? How does she navigate that world?”
Through Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, it would be interesting for fans to see how the titular monarch tackles being a person of color in the highest echelon of society.
2) The show’s wardrobe will be filled with Easter eggs
The wardrobe in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is filled with Easter eggs that the costume designers have sneaked in. While speaking to E! News, Lyn Paolo opened up about how they weaved a tribute to the British Royalty with the costumes:
"With George and Charlotte, we did try to weave the Englishness in. We talked about the fact that George had the Tudor rose and the Yorkshire rose, and ivy embroidered into his wedding suit. And it was also embroidered into Charlotte's wedding gown because she was forced to wear a British gown."
Laura Frecon, the co-costume designer of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, revealed that in the coronation scene, King George and Queen Charlotte have their initials embroidered into the fabric. Not only that, the costume also takes a symbolic turn as well.
When Queen Charlotte matures into a royal later on in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, the dresses have a much stronger look that embodies the dual role she has to take on as both the king and the queen and how empowered she truly is.
3) Queen Charlotte does not appear in the novels
Despite the towering presence of Queen Charlotte in the two seasons of Bridgerton, she actually never appears in the original titular novels. However, the character became so popular that showrunners decided to give her a spin-off show of her own. Not only that, creator Shonda and writer Julia Quinn have developed a new novel centered around Queen Charlotte that is soon to drop on May 9 after Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story airs on Netflix.
However, creator Shonda Rhimes has mentioned to The Express for the audience to remember that Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is a fictional interpretation of Queen Charlotte and not a complete biographical portrayal:
“Although Queen Charlotte is a real historical figure, this is not a history lesson. It is very important that people understand that, because I’m telling the story of Queen Charlotte of Bridgerton, not of Queen Charlotte of England.”
4) India Amarteifio, the actress playing young Queen Charlotte on the show, relates to the character
India Amarteifio plays the young, headstrong, and inquisitive titular ruler in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, and the actress has mentioned how her own racial heritage makes her relate to the character of Queen Charlotte to Vogue:
“I’ve got a white mum and my dad is Black — born in London, but with Ghanaian ancestry — so I can relate to her in terms of not really knowing where you fit in.”
She continued by saying:
“I know what it’s like to walk into a room and have everyone look at you because you’re the only person of colour. There are so many scenes, especially early on in the series where Charlotte does exactly that. In those moments, you feel alone and awkward, and it can be uncomfortable to talk about it, but by writing those scenes, Shonda’s starting that conversation and showing people that they aren’t alone.”
She also had the liberty of the showrunners to create her own interpretation of Queen Charlotte. In her conversation with Vogue, she opened up by saying:
“I could create my own Charlotte. As a teenager, she’s very inquisitive and headstrong. She knows herself but she’s also not afraid to falter. Her actual history gave me more than I needed in terms of background.”
5) Queen Charlotte might be the driving force behind the now-Bridgerton society
As mentioned before, Queen Charlotte was speculated to be black or biracial, at the very least. However, Bridgerton's showrunners’ decision to portray Queen Charlotte as a person of color in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story can be a conscious decision.
Bridgerton has received many reviews stating that it is not historically accurate as racial segregation between people of color and the white population is not as prevalent. In both seasons, the two lead protagonists were people of color, and although there were mentions of race here and there, the racial difficulties of that era were not that prevalent in the show.
So, making the first spin-off about Queen Charlotte makes sense as her reign in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story can be fictionally altered to be seen as something that brought much racial tolerance and created the Bridgerton society as we know it.
Although Queen Charlotte, in real life, had been subjected to many racial remarks, showrunners have mentioned time and time again that Netflix's Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story will be a fictional portrayal of the Queen. It would make perfect sense to then look at the Bridgerton franchise's society after seeing the newly released show.
