Explained: When is Queen Charlotte set, and how does it fit the Bridgerton story timeline?

Netflix has just released Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, a prequel spin-off to the original show. Obviously we know the scenes with a young Queen Charlotte are set way before what we’ve seen of her in Bridgerton, but when exactly the show was set within the Bridgerton timeline isn’t stated on the show.

The six-part story looks at how Queen Charlotte became the Queen of England and her ascent to the throne, as well as her relationship with King George. The show flips between two timelines – one at roughly the same time as Bridgerton, and one much before.

So, when is Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton story set?

There are two timestamps for the Bridgerton spin-off, one being the early points in the life of Queen Charlotte, which we see flashbacks to, and the other being around the time when Bridgerton is set.

The earlier timeline sees a young Queen Charlotte at the age of 17, played by India Amarteifio. She gets married to King George. Whilst the show doesn’t state the exact year it is set, the real Queen Charlotte and King George married in 1761, which would fit the Bridgerton timeline.

The second part of the timeline is set relatively closely to where we are in Bridgerton right now. The Queen Charlotte spin-off may be a couple of years after the original show, if one particular moment is to go by. Episode one hints the year might be 1817 – and season one of Bridgerton was in 1813, whilst season two was in 1814.