The prequel to the Netflix series, “Bridgerton,” called “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story,” was recently released on May 4 and it certainly lives up to royal standards.
For those who are not familiar with the “Bridgerton” series, it is set during the Regency era in England, in which as children come of age for marriage, they launch themselves into society. During the social season, young women and men attend balls and other events to hopefully find a suitable person to marry. The name of the show, “Bridgerton,” comes from the family the series focuses on: the Bridgertons, who are a family of nine, including eight total children.
In the first season of “Bridgerton,” the leading role is the eldest daughter of the family, Daphne, while the second season follows the life of the eldest son, Anthony. Both seasons give viewers a glimpse into the lives of what it is like to be either a woman or a man during this era. While this plot may seem straightforward, it is quickly noticed that both Daphne and Anthony come across many challenges during the social season. The obstacle with this process of finding marriage is trying to simultaneously find love, something that the Bridgertons value highly. The two of them find themselves stuck in a predicament when it comes to choosing love versus choosing a well suited partner.
Another character that finds themselves in a love predicament is the Queen of England: Queen Charlotte. Viewers learn of this occurrence primarily in the prequel of the series, “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.” While the original series gives a small glimpse into the relationship between the Queen and her husband, King George, the prequel series offers a much more thorough storyline about their marriage.
In the original series, the Queen is portrayed as onerous and dirty rich; however, the new series reveals to viewers that she was once just any regular girl. Previously, viewers perceived the King and Queen’s marriage as a relationship sparked from love, but in reality, their relationship was not that way from the start.
While the original series screens the Queen pretty frequently, the King has only been shown a couple of times, and of those few times, he has been seen as “going mad.” The questions of his state of being are progressively being answered throughout the new series, and a greater storyline about his young life is also revealed.
Along with discovering the insights of their love story, viewers also learn how the King and Queen helped modify and transform society. As King George is a white man who chose a black woman to be his Queen, this unity is one of the first times that different races come together during this period in time. Because this unison was sparked in the royal castle, society quickly followed suit. Black people began to notice higher roles in society being offered to them and more opportunities for them suddenly being presented.
While in the original series, the Queen appears to only sit around every day and read gossip columns about the season’s scandals, the prequel series proves that the Queen has a greater influence on England’s society than viewers may have thought. Between inspiring black women to forego leading roles and simply involving herself and the King more in society, Queen Charlotte is a vital role in the “Bridgerton” universe, and has a story worth being watched.