Bridgerton season 1 proved to be a massive hit for Netflix, with the series already renewed through season 4. The world of the Regency era is also expanding to include a prequel spinoff detailing the life of a young Queen Charlotte, whose presence in Bridgerton season 1 drove much of the gossip fueling each character’s arc. Considering Queen Charlotte was a character created solely for the series and was not in Julia Quinn’s novels, there are many story directions the prequel spinoff series could take.
In season 1 of Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte was the one who deemed Daphne Bridgerton the diamond of the season. It elevated her status and brought plenty of suitors her way. Queen Charlotte’s role, however, went beyond favoring Daphne; she loved to gossip and was always attuned to what was happening in and around the Ton, drawn to Lady Whistledown’s letters about the relationship and family drama of the season like a bee to honey. Queen Charlotte was also incredibly powerful as the sole ruling monarch at the time the series was set in 1813. Of course, the queen wasn’t just besotted with the social season and the gossip it brought with it. She was also awaiting news regarding the death of her husband King George III, who was hidden away from high society due to his mental illness.
The original series didn’t provide much information on Charlotte’s family — who were her parents, siblings, financial situation, etc. — and the prequel series should offer more details about her home life before marriage. Bridgerton’s version of the character is based on the real-life monarch Queen Charlotte. What’s more, there are historical references that point to Charlotte being the first Black or mixed race monarch to ascend to the British throne. Bridgerton has already leaned into that by casting Golda Rosheuvel in season 1 and the prequel should expand on this pertinent aspect of her background and history. The prequel series is the perfect opportunity to draw more from the realities of the time, adapting the elements to the fantastical world of the show. Bridgerton revealed that Queen Charlotte’s marriage to King George III is what broke down boundaries of race within the Ton. The journey to getting married and exactly how their love bridged the racial divide during this fictitious Regency era could be further explored in the prequel as well.
Shonda Rhimes will be writing the prequel series about Queen Charlotte and the story should also be focused on the monarch’s rise in society and her whirlwind romance with King George III. Charlotte is a fabulously haughty character by 1813, but it would be exciting to see what she was like in her youth before she became the queen. Similar to Daphne’s story, the prequel could follow Charlotte’s family life and how she came to meet and fall in love with George. While the real Queen Charlotte and King George III were married on the same day they met, the prequel spinoff could provide more time for a courtship to blossom. History shows their marriage was filled with love and affection for each other and the prequel has the opportunity to showcase what Charlotte and George’s relationship looked like before they became rulers, and before George showed signs of what is thought to have been bipolar disorder.
Bridgerton is all about the romance and the same should certainly be the case for the prequel about Queen Charlotte. Her life in the present day is a bit more sad, so the prequel is the best chance to showcase happier times in Charlotte’s love life. Of course, the series will likely have a lot of angst (as should be expected for any period romance), but the prequel is more free to marry history and fantasy in a way Bridgerton couldn’t considering it’s more intrinsically tied to Quinn’s novels. While the series likely won’t rely solely on history to tell Charlotte’s story, the fact she is an original character within the world of Bridgerton means the potential for her storylines are endless.