Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story leaves audiences screaming and (mostly) crying through its stunning tale of rocky romance through the eyes of strong-headed Princess Charlotte (India Amarteifio) and an emotionally broken King George (Corey Mylchreest). Unsurprisingly, their love story was not without trials and tribulations but the pair proved true love really does conquer all in a tear-jerking finale that concluded with them finding solace in another as they hide away from the world under their bed. As if the show hadn’t already positioned itself in viewers’ hearts for a lifetime — while simultaneously raising the standard astronomically — it also delved into a powerful story of self-discovery and self-love. Through the eyes of Lady Agatha Danbury (Arsema Thomas), Queen Charlotte was able to connect with its 21st century audience in a way unlike ever before through the power imbalance. Agatha is forced to endure time and time again. Lady Danbury actress Thomas opened up on the reality of Agatha’s perception of power in a new interview.
“I think there’s something interesting about Danbury where she maybe didn’t realize what was happening was power, she just knew that something was wrong,” Thomas told BOSSIP. “I think there’s something about being in opportunities where you have no choice but to exert that power.” This is alluded to heavily by the fact that Agatha is frequently forced to endure the physical and emotional weight of her husband’s wants, whims and woes despite his total disregard of hers. In effect, she is seen as something of a machine to fulfill his desires and produce babies for him breeding a level of internalized resentment within her. “I think that’s a lot of the situations that she started to find herself in,” Thomas went on. t say anything then I might as well be dead.’ You see her start to do the calculations in her mind where the only option she has is to start to use her power or to at least help other people step into their power and I think that’s also where the basis of that friendship with Charlotte also comes from.”
Lady Danbury Embarks on a Life-Long Journey of Self-Love in Queen Charlotte
everything she is confronted with, Agatha is able to forge a meaningful friendship that sees her guide Charlotte on the reality of her power as a Black monarch while simultaneously finding her feet as a person with her own actionable thoughts and desires. This also results in a surprising sneaky rendezvous with the father of Violet Bridgerton, Lord Ledger. Although fleeting, this brief encounter sparks a powerful light-bulb moment for her when she realizes that she need not “belong” to anyone ever again, placing true value on the meaning of learning to breathe by herself, for herself.
Lady Danbury’s triumphant story of self-love combined with the show’s rich tale of sacrifice, unwavering loyalty and ultimately love wins the hearts of viewers across the globe. Less than two weeks after it floated its way onto Netflix, the prequel story has already amassed an astonishing 307 million hours of viewing – placing it among the platform’s most popular shows of all time.
