Of all the women from Sex and the City, Charlotte York craves a committed relationship the most. She doesn't enjoy one night stands like Samantha and doesn't get much happiness from her career, like Miranda does, either. From the get-go, she is hell-bent on finding Prince Charming, getting married, having children and living happily ever after. She believed "women want to be rescued" and thought that all her problems would go away as soon as she found herself a husband.
As Charlotte was getting closer to what she wanted, she simultaneously got worse and worse personality-wise. She always seemed like the sweetest and most agreeable of them all, but in reality, Charlotte was the most judgemental and prejudiced woman of the quartet.
Waiting For Prince Charming
It was hard not to feel sorry for Charlotte during season 1 sometimes. She was so desperate to commit that she was willing to give anyone a shot and they all turned out to be a lousy match for her. In the pilot, the women promised each other that rather than waiting for the one, they will simply have sex, like men do. This might have worked for Samantha, but it didn't work for desperate, vanilla Charlotte.
Charlotte was introduced as a woman with traditional values, but she often disregarded her boundaries, just so she could appear more desirable to men. By the end of season 1, she was growing increasingly miserable about being single.
She Took Several Leaps Of Faith
In season 2, Charlotte stepped up her game and gave several men a chance. However, there was something wrong with every one of them. Her standards were high and she refused to compromise. There was a flamboyant pastry chef who called himself a "gay-straight man," a man with a foot fetish, the iconic Mr. P***y and a guy who fell asleep during sex.
She went on some pretty bad dates, but she kept her eyes on the prize at all times, refusing to give up on her fairy tale relationship. At some point, she resorted to lying about her age, just so a 26-year-old would give her a shot.
From Charlotte York To Charlotte MacDougal
One of the most memorable Charlotte quotes is season 3's "I've been dating since I was 15. I'm exhausted! Where is he?" and it perfectly describes Charlotte's attitude towards life. She has a beautiful job, amazing friends and enough money to do whatever she wants, but all she thinks about is her relationship status.
After meeting Trey MacDougal in a movie-like situation, they tied the knot only weeks after first meeting. The engagement was not his idea at all: Charlotte pushed him to put a ring on her finger and that's just one of the instances when we felt really bad for Trey. But that didn't mean that Charlotte's personal hell was over. Quite the contrary: it had just begun.
The Painful Divorce
Season 4 represents a huge breaking point for Charlotte: she transformed from a naive princess to an independent woman with a more realistic approach to life. Fans saw her struggle to make things work with Trey: she was patient while he worked on his intimacy issues, she dealt with his overbearing mother and tried to have a baby with him.
It was then that Charlotte first learned that she couldn't physically have a baby. The vision she had for her future ever since she was a little girl collapsed in a heartbeat. The pair separated and Charlotte was left alone to mourn her future in a fabulous Park Avenue apartment, one of the most enviable homes in the series.
Single And Ready To Mingle
After the painful separation, Charlotte turned over a new leaf in life. She read self-help books, partied in Atlantic City for her 36th birthday, and got herself a fierce divorce lawyer, Harry Goldenblatt, to defy Bunny MacDougal. When she least expected it, real love came knocking on her door, but Charlotte didn't see it at first due to her vanity: she slept with Harry, but she felt ashamed of being seen with him in public because he wasn't good looking enough, in her opinion.
It could be argued that she was being superficial, but then again, post-divorce Charlotte was wary and skeptical for a reason. No other character got burned the way she did.
She Converted To Judaism
Trials and tribulations didn't end for Charlotte when she made peace with dating someone who wasn't as handsome as she would have liked. In "To Market, to Market," Harry told her that he would only marry a Jew. This time, Charlotte was driven by something real for the first time in her life and didn't resort to delusions.
The process that led to her conversion wasn't easy. She was refused over and over again, but resilient Charlotte didn't let a religious institution hold her back on her quest to marry Harry. The two broke up after her conversion, but quickly found their way back into each other's lives.
Her Second Wedding Was Tamer
Since Charlotte already had her big and perfect wedding, she decided for a smaller and more intimate wedding the second time around. This decision reflects just how much she has grown as a person. She finally let go of this idea that everything will run smoothly in relationships. When Harry walks around her glorious apartment naked, she tries to be understanding.
For the old Charlotte, that kind of behavior would be a deal-breaker. This time around, she confronted him and the two talked it out, like adults. Harry was always very understanding and patient with her and she finally recognized that she is just as lucky as he is to have found such a beautiful partner.
She Got Herself A Dog
After the wedding, Charlotte struggled to get pregnant, yet again. While she was financially incredibly privileged, life just didn't give Charlotte a break: there was always a challenge ahead of her. After several acupuncture sessions, she finally got pregnant, but had a miscarriage. Fans' hearts broke for Charlotte in the final season of the show.
In "Out of the Frying Pan," one of the last episodes of the series, Charlotte got a dog and called her Elizabeth Taylor. In the final episode, Harry and Charlotte work on adopting a baby. In season 1, Charlotte wanted one thing only: to be in a fulfilling relationship. She worked tirelessly on that vision and ultimately got a happy ending.
She Finally Became A Mother
After six seasons of constant struggling, we find Charlotte living the happy domestic life she always wanted in Sex and the City: The Movie. The couple have adopted a girl from China and named her Lily. While Carrie still has drama with Mr. Big, even as they are about to get married, Charlotte is now settled, at peace and an amazing, loving mother.
It gets even better: she finds out she is pregnant and naturally, she is very worried about the baby. One of the best moments of the movie was definitely Charlotte "cursing the day [Mr. Big] was born," right before her water broke.
Charlotte Living Her Dream Life
Many fans felt that Sex and the City 2 was a huge disappointment and a bad ending to an otherwise well-liked franchise. In the film, Charlotte's second daughter Rose is now two years old.
She is preoccupied with worrying about Harry cheating on her with their nanny, doing a huge disservice to such a loyal and reliable partner. He never gave her a reason to have trust issues and it's a real shame to see Charlotte ultimately transform into an insecure and nervous mother.