‘Bridgerton’ only shows a glimpse of who she really was.
Queen Charlotte was an absolute star in Netflix’s Bridgerton. Her opulent gowns and gorgeous hairstyles made her hard to miss, but her love of gossip and undeniable presence propelled her into a fan favorite on the hit series. The royal tastemaker caused such a stir in the ‘ton that Netflix is developing a spin-off show based on Charlotte’s rise from a young princess into a queen.
The Regency-era romance drama is inspired by Julia Quinn’s bestselling fictional book series, but Queen Charlotte’s character is based on an actual royal who existed — and served equally fierce looks — IRL. As impressive as Bridgerton’s depiction may be, the true story of Queen Charlotte is just as enjoyable.
Historian, author, and all-things royal expert Carolyn Harris cleared up some common misconceptions about her majesty. Ahead, discover the truth about who Queen Charlotte was, how she’s connected to the real-life royal family and what Bridgerton got right.
Who was Queen Charlotte?
Queen Charlotte was born Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz on May 19, 1744. The youngest daughter of Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Princess Elizabeth Albertina of Saxe-Hildburghausen was born in a small northern German territory during the Holy Roman Empire.
While Bridgerton is known for royal romances, Queen Charlotte lived out her own fairytale. She married King George III of Britain in a whirlwind love story fit for its own Netflix series. King George announced his plans to marry Charlotte, a princess at the time, in July 1761 without ever meeting her. According to the royal family’s website, the couple tied the knot six hours after meeting each other for the first time when Charlotte arrived in Britain that September. Talk about love at first sight! 😍
The newlyweds moved into Buckingham House in 1762, naming it Buckingham Palace. You know, the same Buckingham Palace the royal family calls home today. Queen Charlotte and King George welcomed 15 children during their marriage, 14 born at Buckingham. While the palace has become a beloved international landmark, no one loved it more than Queen Charlotte. She adored the property so much that it later became known as “The Queen’s House.”
Along with Buckingham Palace, the Queen also purchased the Frogmore House in Windsor Park as a vacation home for her and her unmarried daughters. According to Sussexroyal.com, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were slated to move into the cottage in 2020.
Queen Charlotte and King George III were happily married for the first 25 years of their marriage. According to Historic Royal Palaces, the King’s bout with mental illness was reported kept a secret from the Queen and fractured the couple’s relationship as his health declined. He died of mania in 1811.
After serving on the throne for 57 years, Queen Charlotte died in 1818. She was 74.
What did she like?
Would you believe me if I told you Queen Charlotte was a doting pet parent? According to Harris, “Queen Charlotte liked Pomeranian dogs and brought her Pomeranians with her to England when she married King George III.” Ever the tastemaker, Queen Charlotte unknowingly started a royal trend. “She created a fashion for owning Pomeranians,” Harris adds. “Her granddaughter Queen Victoria also had Pomeranians as pets.”
Was Queen Charlotte the first mixed-race royal?
There have been debates about Queen Charlotte’s race and ethnicity for some time now, but there is no official confirmation. “Queen Charlotte may have had a distant African ancestor connected to the Portuguese royal family,” Harris explains. ” Her portrait artist Allan Ramsay was a noted abolitionist, and there has been speculation that he incorporated this speculation about Queen Charlotte’s background into his paintings of the queen.”
Guyanese-British actress Golda Rosheuvel stars as the Queen in Netflix’s Bridgerton. Debates about Queen Charlotte’s racial identity may have influenced the show’s decision to cast a biracial actress. Bridgerton showrunner Chris Van Dusen dished to Collider about how he was inspired by the questions about the Queen’s race. “It’s something that really resonated with me because it made me wonder what could that have really looked like,” he said. “And what would have happened? What could she have done? Could the Queen have elevated other people of color in society and granted them titles and lands and dukedoms.”
Why was she included in Bridgerton?
Queen Charlotte’s character didn’t appear in Julia Quinn’s bestselling series; however, Bridgerton’s creator and showrunner didn’t think twice about creating space for her in the Netflix series. “Queen Charlotte opened up an entirely new world for us,” Van Dusen told Oprah Daily. “What really struck me with the books from the beginning is that this was an opportunity to marry history and fantasy in a really exciting, interesting way.
