Bridgerton Is Still Missing The Most Important Queen Charlotte Relative
The true story of Queen Charlotte and King George III is featured in Bridgerton, albeit without their most important family members of the era.
Bridgerton’s Regency era tale features the real-life historical figures Queen Charlotte and King George III, though has yet to feature their most important family members. While Bridgerton’s story takes place in a fictionalized version of Regency London that takes many liberties with historical accuracy, the series includes the true stories of several famous figures of the time. Aside from Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) and King George III (James Fleet), Bridgerton’s series also adapts more heavily fictionalized versions of the real-life boxer Bill Richmond (Will Mondrich in Bridgerton) and Prince Frederick of Prussia (Prince Friedrich in Bridgerton) . This makes the omission of a key character all the more noticeable.
While Queen Charlotte plays an important part in the Netflix show, the real-life royal figure was never included in Bridgerton’s book series. Rather, the royal connections were completely original to the Bridgerton TV show, which leaves many more questions as to how Queen Charlotte and King George III’s storylines will progress alongside the rest of the Bridgerton siblings’ romances. Within the series, Queen Charlotte plays an active role in London’s marriage market, particularly because of her fixation on the writings of Lady Whistledown. All the while, King George III plays more of a background role as his illness becomes more severe.
The versions of Queen Charlotte and King George III in Bridgerton aren’t entirely accurate to their true stories during the Regency era, but their inclusion in the series still opens up further opportunities to explore the influence of royalty at this time. While the wealthy lords, ladies, viscounts, dukes, and barons make up the majority of Bridgerton’s characters in the ton, the figures are largely fictional within the story. As such, Queen Charlotte’s prominence in Bridgerton allows for a more intriguing blending of true history with a fantastical version of London’s high nobility, which could mean introducing many more real-life famous personalities into Bridgerton’s future seasons. In particular, audiences could be treated to a portrayal of another of the era’s most significant figures in the Prince Regent, George Prince of Wales. Despite being absent from the series so far, there’s no doubt that, from a historical perspective, the Prince Regent played a vital role in shaping the events of the period.
Bridgerton True Story: Queen Charlotte & King George’s Inclusion Explained
As previously mentioned, Queen Charlotte and King George III aren’t necessarily characters in Bridgerton’s books, though they are still part of the true history of its setting. Within the series, Queen Charlotte has an important role as she’s actively involved in the marriage mart, where she picks the diamond of the season. The queen is shown to be quite close to Lady Danbury, who also has an integral role in arranging the relationships of the young characters during Bridgerton’s social seasons. King George III, on the other hand, is hardly present in the series, which is due to the true story of his illness toward the end of his reign. Shortly before Bridgerton’s timeline begins, King George signed the Regency Act 1811, which gave his son George, Prince of Wales, the ability to rule by proxy while the king was physically and mentally able to do so.
In real life, King George III’s illnesses left him virtually blind, increasingly deaf, and developing dementia during Bridgerton’s timeframe, with many speculating that he was living with either bipolar disorder or Porphyria. Such examples of his illnesses becoming more severe are included in Bridgerton seasons 1 and 2, although the series excludes his relationships with his and Charlotte’s 15 children during this time. The only royal prominently featured in Bridgerton is Queen Charlotte, with her real-life nephew Prince Friedrich also being included as a suitor in the social season. However, Bridgerton’s true story just barely dives into the true scandals and impact of the royal family during this timeline, which suggests future seasons may dive into the rule of King George and Queen Charlotte’s children.
Bridgerton Is Still Missing Charlotte & George’s Son, The Prince Regent
Since Queen Charlotte and King George III aren’t technically ruling the kingdom during this era, Bridgerton is still missing the most important royal figure: George, Prince of Wales. After King George III’s illness kept him from being able to properly perform his requirements as a ruler, the monarch signed the Regency Act of 1811, thus giving his son true control over the kingdom.
