The prequel to the hit Netflix series Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, has a release date, cast information, trailers, and more. Bridgerton started off as a series of eight romance novels by Julia Quinn about British nobility in Regency-era London. The book series was adapted for a Netflix show in 2020, and it follows the eight children of the eponymous family as they navigate London high society. Bridgerton has been a huge success for the streaming service, with a second season in 2022, two more seasons planned, and the prequel spin-off Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
The London of the television series is an alternate racially integrated version, which allows for a much more racially diverse cast than other period piece shows like Downton Abbey. Notably, recurring character Queen Charlotte is a Black woman in Bridgerton, and she’s played by Golda Rosheuvel, a Guyanese-British actor. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is a limited series prequel to the main storyline and will follow Queen Charlotte as she navigates the beginnings of her queenship.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story - Latest News
The prequel to Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, released a teaser trailer for the limited series in February 2023. Like the first look released in 2022, this trailer teases the beginnings of the relationship between King George and Queen Charlotte, and it's looking to be as steamy an affair as any seen in the franchise. Multiple characters are shown for brief glimpses as voiceovers press Charlotte to take her role as Queen seriously. The stress of ruling is sure to be a central theme of the series.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton StoryConfirmed
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story wrapped filming in the fall of 2022 and is set to be released in the spring of 2023. There has been no news if the prequel will have a second season but as a limited series, the story may only encompass the six episodes of the season.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story Release Date
The first two Bridgerton seasons had a long gap between release dates — well over a year. Fortunately, there has finally been some more information for the Netflix prequel, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. After an original vague announcement that the series would be released sometime in 2023, a trailer that dropped on YouTube on February 14th, 2023 announced the premiere date as May 4th, 2023, much earlier than expected and even before the third season of Bridgerton.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story Cast
As a prequel to Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story will not have many returning cast members as new actors will be playing younger versions of the characters from the original show. Returning characters and cast members are Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel), Lady Agatha Danbury (Adjoa Andoh), Lady Violet Ledger Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell), and Brimsley (Hugh Sachs). Set to play the younger versions of those characters are, respectively, India Amarteifio, Arsema Thomas, Connie Jenkins-Grieg, and Sam Clemmett.
With both young and older versions of the characters slated to appear, there is sure to be some time-jumping. Other new characters in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story include Princess Augusta (Michelle Fairley), young King George III (Corey Mylchreest), Lord Bute (Richard Cunningham), Adolphus (Tunji Kasim), Vivian Ledger (Katie Brayben), and Lord Ledger (Keir Charles) to round out the main cast of characters.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story Story Details
Since some cast members will be returning from Bridgerton, it’s safe to assume there will be at least two timelines in the show. The six-episode limited series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story has not had much in the way of plot details released but the general outline from the trailer points to the hopeful nature of Queen Charlotte and King George III's romance, and will thus make Queen Charlotte's Bridgerton story even more tragic.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story Trailers
Netflix's teaser trailer for the upcoming Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story has some significant implications for the series. In it, a young Queen Charlotte meets a young King George III and the two begin courting, a scene which was expanded on in a first-look clip that came out in 2022. The classic Bridgerton scenes of lavish parties, celebrations, and spinning couples on the dance floor are once again seen in the one-minute clip. George and Charlotte appear to be starting off their romance on an erotic note as well.
Queen Charlotte running away angrily from something, she and George ripping their hands away from each other the moment they are out of the public eye, and a new character, Princess Augusta, angrily insisting that Charlotte’s wedding cannot go wrong for the sake of the country are some intriguing dramatic conflicts hinted at in the Bridgerton spin-off. A graphic passes across the screen that says “Netflix and Shonda Rhimes invite you to fall in love with the story that started it all.” Whatever happens in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is sure to affect how the sequel series is viewed and presented going forth.
What Is Shonda Rhimes Role In Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story?
Shonda Rhimes and her production company, Shondaland, are once again in charge of the Bridgerton property. Rhimes is the showrunner and writer of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, and while she is heavily involved with the production of Bridgerton, this will be the first opportunity for her to tell a Bridgerton story not based on Quinn's book series.
How Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story Will Connect To Bridgerton
With young versions of Lady Danbury, Violet Bridgerton, Brimsley, and of course, Queen Charlotte in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, there will be some connective tissue between the spin-off and the main series. In Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte is the Queen of England, but she’s also the tastemaker of London and overseer of the romantic and dating culture of the city. The spin-off prequel may show just how Queen Charlotte became interested in that role and how she centered all of London culture, and not just governing, around herself and her court. Her journey from uninterested princess to invested queen will be a fascinating connection to watch develop.