Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is surprisingly deep, thoroughly engaging, and royally fun.
Well now… it’s as if we’ve been waiting for Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story all along. Three times is a delightful if not thoroughly royal charm for the Bridgerton-verse. Bridgerton first wowed audiences when it arrived on Netflix in 2020, giving viewers a frequent shirtless and brooding Regé-Jean Page to fawn over. Season two followed similar suit as it chronicled the romance between Lord Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey, shirtless and then some) and Lady Kate (Simone Ashley), in full-on overthinking mode.
But with Queen Charlotte, series creator/showrunner/writer Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy) creates something even more remarkable: a memorable and engaging six-episode prequel companion to the flagship series that will impress you with its layered storytelling, depth, and heart.
Perhaps Lady Whistledown, Bridgerton’s ever curious scribe, summed it up best: “This treasure is set to join the likes of the queen’s ever so cherished crown jewels themselves.” That’s certainly the case here. Headlined with fiery delight by India Amarteifio (Evermoor) in the title role, Queen Charlotte takes place many decades before the events in Bridgerton, but we occasionally dip into that series’ timeline, following several story arcs — one involving the older Queen Charlotte we’ ve come to know (Golda Rosheuvel) and a curious thread from the past that involves Lady Agatha Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) and Lady Violet Ledger Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell).
But the heart of this series is wonderfully rooted in the past, with Queen Charlotte’s rise to prominence and power. This is the story of how the young Queen’s marriage to King George III (an exceptional on the mark Corey Mylchreest) was both a stellar love story and a significant societal shift, creating the Regency high society — known as the Ton — that was inherited by the characters in Bridgerton. That said, Queen Charlotte stands out, but not for the reasons you might think.
Not Your Average Cute-Meet
The first episode of Queen Charlotte finds our beloved protagonist confronting a number of battles. In an attempt to secure their family’s and country’s fate, her brother Adolphus (Tunji Kasim) has arranged for Charlotte to marry King George III. Charlotte is only 17 and doesn’t take kindly to that idea, but off in the carriage they go.
At the royal palace, Charlotte has other plans. She retreats to the gardens and ponders how she can get over the palace walls. A strapping young lad charms her with his infectious grin, and it’s all so, well, Bridgerton-y. It isn’t long before Charlotte realizes who this fella is. (Hello, George.) Smitten, she agrees to marry a man she never met — until, like, 10 minutes ago. Here’s to happily-ever-after.
Not quite. The wedding is grand, of course. Royal treatment and all that. The honeymoon? Not so much. Best to experience all that for yourself, but Charlotte soon realizes that she and the King will have separate residences. George is also suddenly emotionally distant, perhaps absent. Why? Then there’s all this fuss about her being doted on by countless servants, chief among them Brimsley (Sam Clemmett in fine form), who has dedicated life to the Royal Highness. That he always walks at least six feet behind her is a hoot. Well, Charlotte is her own woman. She won’t have it. Nor can she stomach feeling isolated from the man she married. What the bloody hell is happening?
Shonda Rhimes and director Tom Verica do a lovely job at bringing us into this time period and setting up Charlotte’s plight from the get-go. To our delight, other Bridgerton characters appear. Young Agatha Danbury (Arsema Thomas) figures prominently throughout in amusing if not sometimes off-putting scenes, especially between her and her much older husband, Lord Danbury (Cyril Nri), to whom she’s been betrothed in an arranged marriage much like Charlotte’s. In time, these two young women bond, establishing the connection we later see between them in Bridgerton.
