Warning: This story contains spoilers from Queen Charlotte.
An emotional roller coaster. Queen Charlotte took Bridgerton fans on a journey into the past to explore the origins of King George III’s (Corey Mylchreest) marriage to Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio).
Viewers of Queen Charlotte saw the couple fall in love while coming to terms with George’s declining mental health. Throughout the Netflix series, flashbacks revealed that Charlotte and George were able to rule over Britain after welcoming their first child.
Scenes from present day meanwhile, confirmed that George (James Fleet) was no longer fit to run the nation. The show, which is set between season 2 and 3 of Bridgerton, focused on Charlotte’s (Golda Rosheuvel) plans to expand their linage with a royal heir. She convinced her sons to settle down in order to give her grandchildren, who would later take over the throne.
Ahead of the show’s May 2023 premiere, Amarteifio discussed how royal history was altered in order to bring the story to life.
“It’s definitely not a historical retelling — it’s a reimagining of history, so that gave us a lot of freedom. But also, there are nods to the real history, too. We see Charlotte traveling from Germany, her relationship with her brother, her dogs, the snuff. I did as much research as I thought was sensible,” the actress told Vogue. “I read Janice Hadlow’s book about Georgian history [The Strangest Family: The Private Lives of George III, Queen Charlotte and the Hanoverians], and I went to Kew Gardens, where they lived, and saw her cottage. We got to have a private tour and I even saw the armchair Charlotte died in. Being there, I felt such a connection to her.”
The Sex Education alum admitted she was “constantly overwhelmed” about doing Charlotte justice on screen.
“Going into Blenheim Palace felt like the biggest thing ever, but then the costumes were just gorgeous, and the jewelry, and all the sets were huge. I was like, ‘Oh my God!’ and that was perfect because Charlotte’s entering this new world too,” she continued. “There’s a lot riding on it obviously, but when we were on set, there were also moments when you forgot how big it was and you felt like you were just making a film with your friends. I think if I’d constantly been thinking about people’s expectations of the show, it would’ve been too much.”
Amarteifio said it was important for her and creator Shonda Rhimes to shine a light on several different experiences. “There were so many reasons to create it. In Bridgerton, Golda created this iconic character, this mixed-race woman who people saw as a queen, and that’s not something we really see,” she added. “When I got the script for Queen Charlotte, I thought, ‘When I was 15, did I ever see myself represented as a queen? Never.’ And this isn’t a story about misfortune — it’s about a Black woman who, against all odds, became part of one of the most powerful monarchies in the world. We don’t brush the subject of race under the carpet, either — we explore it.
The U.K. native concluded: “She is different but that’s not the issue — it’s society that needs to change. For me, it would’ve been an honor to be part of the Bridgerton universe anyway, but it’s even more special because this show lays the foundations for Bridgerton and shows us how that world became so diverse and beautiful. We also look at class, mental health, sexuality and gender, and I feel like all of that is so important.”
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Scroll down to see where every Queen Charlotte character ended up in the limited Netflix series:
