Queen Charlotte Review: Strong, Heartfelt Bridgerton Prequel Needed More Romance
The prequel series could have focused more on the romance itself, but Queen Charlotte has plenty of charisma, heart, and dramatic tension.
As one of Netflix’s most popular series, it was only a matter of time before Bridgerton received a spinoff. Created by Shonda Rhimes, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story changes gears, turning its attention toward the titular character and her love story with King George III. The series jumps between two time periods, balancing multiple storylines. The historical fantasy series sets up a lovely central romance, and gives focus to Lady Danbury’s story, among several others. The prequel series gets too caught up in establishing the monarchs’ love as the bridge between their society’s divide when it could have focused more on the romance itself, but Queen Charlotte has plenty of charisma, heart, and dramatic tension to make it worth recommending.
Decades before she becomes the royal Bridgerton’s characters interact with every social season, a young Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio) is thrown into a marriage she did not consent to, but would, according to her older brother Adolphus (Tunji Kasim), make England an ally of Germany and bridge the divide between races, which greatly affects Lady Agatha Danbury (Arséma Thomas) and her family. And so Charlotte marries King George III (Corey Mylchreest), who is initially charming and warm, but who harbors a secret about his health that risks his relationship and his standing as a ruler. Meanwhile, after the events of Bridgerton season 2, an older Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) is frustrated because none of her 13 children have heirs — at least not legitimate ones. And so she recruits Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) and Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) to help her in the matchmaking process.
What Queen Charlotte lacks in romance it more than makes up for in dramatic fervor. The story unfolds with aplomb, ready to take us on a whirlwind journey with high stakes. Much of the tension is personal, though, with King George’s mother, Princess Augusta (Michelle Fairley) acts as the middle person between Charlotte and George’s affairs and parliament’s impatient insistence that the king perform his duties as they see fit. The series would have been dull had it actually turned its attention to the inner workings of parliament, though, and Queen Charlotte is content to keep us within the web of interpersonal drama between Charlotte and George, whose ailment is portrayed with the greatest empathy (and a lot of unnecessary torture).
When the series actually focuses on Charlotte and George’s romance — the adoration they clearly have for each other, the tension that stems from George’s secret, and their devotion to making their marriage work — the story soars. There’s a lot of drama to mine from their relationship, as there are internal and external conflicts at work that bring them closer together and also threaten to tear them apart. India Amarteifio and Corey Mylchreest have excellent chemistry, though the show doesn’t lean on it as heavily as it could have. As a limited series, Queen Charlotte separates the pair for longer than need be, prolonging the tension unnecessarily, especially considering the external drama and subplots that require balance.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the series is Lady Danbury’s story, specifically as it pertains to her married life (sans the excessive sexual assault), status, and journey towards independence and self-worth. Both the younger and older versions of the character get some meaty material to work with and Arséma Thomas and Adjoa Andoh deliver. Even Violet Bridgerton’s subplot about moving on and reconnecting with her sexual desires is lovely, as it leans into the fact that aging doesn’t erase a woman’s wants while strengthening the existing friendship between Lady Bridgerton and Lady Danbury. Similarly, young Lady Danbury and Queen Charlotte’s relationship is also handled well, showcasing the support they provide one another, and the trust that is built between them. When the series centers its primary relationships, it gets lovely, empowers and tender moments.
The show is still a fantasy that only pulls from history occasionally, and reminds us of its fictitious elements at the very beginning, but it’s hard to get too lost in the fantasy of it all when there are story elements that reflect the present. At the same time, the series is grounded, and the world-building showcases what’s at stake for each character so things don’t work out between Queen Charlotte and King George. All told, Shonda Rhimes and her team are great at balancing the various storylines. Queen Charlotte has some wonderful acting, intensity, and great relationships at its core.
