There are obviously some massive spoilers ahead forQueen Charlotte : A Bridgerton Story !
If you’ve been onNetflixin the past few days, you’ve probably noticed that there’s a new No. 1 series in the US.Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Storyis the firstBridgertonspinoff series, and it’s already all anyone wants to talk about.
Created and written byShonda Rhimesand directed by Tom Verica,Queen Charlotte: ABridgertonStoryfollows a young Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio) as she meets and marries King George III (Corey Mylchreest).
The series also flips back and forth between the early days of their marriage and theBridgertontimeline, where Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) is pressuring her children to marry and produce another royal heir.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Storyis receiving rave reviews, especially for India and Corey’s chemistry as Charlotte and George. Namely, it’s allowing people to see Charlotte’sBridgertonstory in a whole new way.
So because Charlotte and George are, obviously, based on the real Queen Charlotte and King George III, here are 21 facts about the real people (and their real marriage):
1.First, just like inQueen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Charlotte departed Germany for England alongside her brother to marry King George III. Charlottearrivedon Sept. 8, 1761, and married George that same night.
2.Charlotte’s name was reportedly alast-minute additionto the list of potential suitors for King George, and he chose her because he “liked what he heard of her” and loved that she was well-educated, modest, and a musician.
3.It is believed that Charlotte wasmixed race, which is why the casting of India Amarteifio and Golda Rosheuvel inBridgertonis so significant. A genealogist named Mario de Valdes y CocomtracedCharlotte’s ancestry back to the fifth king of Portugal, who reportedly had a Black mistress.
4.Queen Charlotte’s Black characteristics are evident by the queen’s portraits at the time, especially the onescreatedby artist Allan Ramsay. All of this has led to people thinking of Charlotte as “Britain’s first Black queen,” aconversationthat was brought up once again whenMeghan Marklemarried Prince Harry.
5.Unlike most marriages at the time, Charlotte and George had a pretty happy one. Theyreportedlyeven shared a bedroom, which was “unusual” for royal couples at the time. However, Charlotte wasn’t allowed to have many friendships, at the request of George, so she spent a lot of time alone.
6.In fact, it’s widely reported that King George III never took amistress, and was faithful to Queen Charlotte, which was rare at the time, especially within the royal family.
7.Over the course of their marriage, Queen Charlotte and King George had15 children, starting with George, Prince of Wales, who was born in 1762 — less than a year after they got married.
8.King George III grew to love Queen Charlotte during their marriage. He reportedlysaid, “The queen is my physician, and no man can have a better; she is my friend, and no man can have a better.”
9.Meanwhile, Charlotte also held George in high esteem and came to love him as well. In a letter to him in 1778, shewrote, “You will have the benefit by your voyages to put Spirit in every body, to be more known by the world, and if possible more beloved by the people in general. That must be the case, but not equal to the love of her who subscribes herself: your very affectionate friend and wife, Charlotte.”
10.The cause of King George III’s mental illness remains unknown to this day, however it is believed he hadbipolar disorderand/orporphyria, a rare disease that affects the nervous system and blood.
11.After King George’s mental illness became known in 1765, theMinority of Heir to the Crown Act of 1765was enacted, which states that if the king should become “permanently” unable to rule, Charlotte or the king’s mother would take his place. At the time, Charlotte wasapparentlyunaware of the king’s mental illness.
12.In 1811, when King George III was officially deemed unfit to rule George, Prince of Wales, becameregent, however Charlotte remained George’s guardian until her death in 1818.
13.Similar toBridgerton, George established thefirst debutante ballin 1780 in honor of Charlotte’s birthday. It would come to be known as Queen Charlotte’s Ball, and it was held every year at Buckingham Palace untilQueen ElizabethII ended the tradition in the 1950s.
14.Around the time of their marriage, King George purchased a nearby propertynamedBuckingham House. He would later move in with the queen and the property expanded and became known as Buckingham Palace.
15.Charlotte did have twobeloveddogs, Phoebe and Mercury, two Pomeranians who she brought to England when she married King George III. The two dogs were even immortalized in a famous royal portrait of the queen.
16.As shown inQueen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, George was subjected tovarious forms of torturein an attempt to “cure him” of his mental illness. All of the methods were meant to “draw out the king’s madness.”
17.Charlotte loved music so much that she had Mozart, who was only eight years old,performfor her and he was invited to perform at the celebration for the fourth anniversary of King George III’s ascension to the throne in 1764.
18.As depicted inQueen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Georgestudiedscience, in fact he was the first king to do so, and he loved agriculture, which earned him the nickname “Farmer George.”
19.Charlotte wasreportedlyan amateur botanist. In fact, her interest in botany is the reason the South African flower, “The Bird of Paradise” was named “Strelitzia reginae” in her honor.
20.Charlotte loved art and had several paintings commissioned during her time as queen. In fact, her collection of paintings, as well as her library,were soldfollowing her death in order to support her four youngest surviving daughters.
21.And finally, Charlotte died in 1818, two years before George. It’s believed that at the time of her death, Georgedid not knowwho she was, so he did not properly mourn her.
More on Queen Charlotte:
