Bridgerton season 1 includes a story about Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) meeting Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, so how much is historically accurate? In the Bridgerton episode, "Shock and Delight," Queen Charlotte enjoys a bit of snuff while speaking with Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) and tells a personal anecdote about her influence over iconic musical prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. After this scene, Bridgerton's prequel Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story shows the events as they happen, changing Charlotte's story somewhat.
When Violet arrives at Buckingham House in Bridgerton season 1 to discuss her daughter's future, she identifies the music being played as "quite beautiful" and asks the Queen if it's one of Mozart's works. The famous Austrian composer had passed away 12 years prior at age 35, and the Queen fondly remembers her visit with the pianist when he was around 10 years old. She states that Mozart accompanied her during an aria performance, and recalls saying that the boy "should become one of the finest composers in Europe." How much of the Queen Charlotte Mozart story is true?
The True Story Of Queen Charlotte's Meeting With Mozart
In reality, in 1764, Mozart met Queen Charlotte when he was eight years old when he visited Buckingham House. The young musician reportedly spent 15 months in London during the family's "Great European Tour," and accepted an invitation to perform for King George III and Queen Charlotte on April 27, 1864 - just four days after arriving in London. The Queen was apparently a talented singer and harpsichord player, and she did indeed sing during one of Mozart's performances approximately one month later.
The boy would never again visit London during his lifetime, and he later dedicated six sonatas to his royal benefactor, the Queen. In a letter (via Royal Collection Trust), young Mozart humbly expressed his gratitude:
"To the Queen Madam, Full of pride and joy at daring to offer a homage to You, I finished these Sonatas in order to lay them at the feet of your majesty; I was, I confess, intoxicated with vanity and ravished myself when I perceived the Genius of Music at my side… It is said that everything should be allowed to Genius; I owe mine the happiness of pleasing You, and I forgive it its caprices. Deign, Madam, to receive my poor gifts."
Queen Charlotte's Mozart tale in Bridgerton season 1 isn't merely a passing moment, but rather an allegory about her immediate expectations. Daphne has been linked to both the Duke of Hastings and Nigel Pembroke (Jamie Beamish), and so the Queen delivers a message to her mother about following through on expectations, and how it would be in the family's best interest if Daphne decided to leave home, just like young Mozart.
The Queen Charlotte Spinoff Series Showed Her Meeting Mozart
Though Queen Charlotte makes reference to meeting Mozart in Bridgerton, the Queen Charlotte spinoff series actually shows the monarch and the musician. While it doesn’t show their initial meeting, Queen Charlotte and Mozart are shown in the palace in episode three of the series. Mozart performs for Queen Charlotte and her ladies-in-waiting. Queen Charlotte is praised by the group for having great taste in music.
The scene is not exactly historically accurate, though the two did meet. Queen Charlotte is never shown performing with Mozart, for example, which she did during one of her two meetings with him. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story also begins its events in 1761 and only takes place over the course of about a year as it chronicles her initial wedding, which happened in September 1761 through to just after the birth of her first child, which happened in August 1762. Queen Charlotte’s meeting with Mozart happened in reality in 1764.
Of course, it’s not unusual for the Bridgerton shows to take historical liberties. The series presents an alternate and fictional view of historic characters, inspired by reality, but not beholden to it.
Why Queen Charlotte Lies About Mozart In Bridgerton
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story changes the timeline relayed by Queen Charlotte in Bridgerton, not even fitting the year in which Queen Charlotte is set (1761). It also changes when it happened in Queen Charlotte's reign, as it actually happened 3 years after her coronation with King George III. On top of that, Queen Charlotte seemingly shows that Charlotte lied about performing with Mozart, though that could have been referring to the meeting a month later during which she did sing with him according to historical reports.
It's entirely possible that Queen Charlotte doesn't remember the events exactly as they happened. Perhaps the story was simply trimmed by Queen Charlotte to make herself more grand, given her audience when she retells it in Bridgerton. Queen Charlotte certainly enjoys being the one with the most power in the room in Bridgerton's series, a stark contrast to how she begins her time in the monarchy in the prequel series. Seeing the series back-to-back shows how much Queen Charlotte changes during her reign.
It's more likely, however, that when the story about Mozart by Queen Charlotte in Bridgerton season 1 is told, it's inspired by historic events before a script for Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton story was even written. The scene in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story was then shot in a way that best fit the cast and schedule for the day on which it filmed. As a result, there are going to be some slight discrepancies in the two Bridgerton shows since they were shot years apart.