Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story may be a prequel series to the hit period romance, but it stands on its own merits. Introducing young Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio), the series explores her rise to power and her romance with King George III (Corey Mylchreest).
Like Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte balances an ensemble cast and their characters’ various storylines, including Lady Agatha Danbury’s. While Bridgerton dives headfirst into its historical fantasy and the society that has been established, Queen Charlotte explores how exactly that world came to be. With only six episodes, Queen Charlotte manages to include things that Bridgerton has been unable to explore in two seasons. Each show is enjoyable for various reasons, but there are at least ten things that the prequel series manages to do better than its parent show.
10Queen Charlotte Gives The Servants’ Stories Focus
In Bridgerton, all but two servants — Lady Featherington’s lady’s maid and Brimsley, Queen Charlotte’s right-hand man — are given any dialogue. Such is not the case in Queen Charlotte, which sees the servants interacting more often with the main characters. Brimsley has much more to do, and even has his own tension and romance with Reynolds, King George III’s personal attendant. The prequel series showcases more than their duties, but gives them conflict and love. Cora, Lady Agatha Danbury’s lady’s maid, is not only helpful to Agatha in ensuring she knows when Lord Danbury will call upon her, but she gives her opinions freely, and is often a voice of reason.
9Lady Danbury’s Backstory Is Explored
Lady Danbury is a force to be reckoned with in Bridgerton, and she enjoys playing matchmaker for the youth, as well as giving advice on important matters. However, the series didn’t give her backstory any attention and the audience knew very little about her past beyond helping raise Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings. Queen Charlotte rights that wrong, diving wholeheartedly into Lady Danbury’s past, the relationship she has with her husband, joining the royal court, and fighting to keep her new title so that her children will inherit. The prequel series reveals exactly why Lady Danbury is who she is in Bridgerton, fleshing out that which the original show leaves out.
8King George Gets To Be A Person Beyond His Illness
Bridgerton includes King George III, but he isn’t really a full-fledged person beyond his illness. Fans see how King George’s deteriorating mental health affects Queen Charlotte, but there isn’t much to be gleaned regarding his personality. Because Queen Charlotte is set decades prior, the young King George gets to be a person with interests, opinions, and a deep love for Charlotte. The prequel series explores his insecurities, as well as why he chooses to remain in hiding, feeling the pressure of his duties to the crown. Queen Charlotte ultimately underscores why he and Charlotte fell in love, fleshing out King George’s identity while he is still in relatively good enough shape to dictate his own choices.
7Lady Danbury & Lady Bridgerton’s Friendship Is Deeper
Lady Danbury and Viscountess Violet Bridgerton have grown closer over the course of Bridgerton’s two seasons, but the central focus of their friendship was the younger generation’s love lives and any scandals it brought. Queen Charlotte gives the characters’ friendship more depth, allowing them to connect in crucial ways that highlight how comfortable they are with each other. They give each other advice, support one another, and are able to be honest in a way their conservative society doesn’t allow, especially on topics related to sexual intimacy and desire. Queen Charlotte brought the older Lady Danbury and Lady Bridgerton together, and solidified their bond through tenderness and understanding.
6Queen Charlotte’s Children Are Important To The Story
Bridgerton’s first two seasons mentioned in passing Queen Charlotte and King George III’s children, but they didn’t appear at all. Queen Charlotte not only brings them into existence, but makes them crucial to the titular character’s storyline. The series implies why they haven’t been around and reveals, over the course of the show, the kind of relationship they have with their mother. With the Royal children present, Queen Charlotte gets a deeper story as well. Her interactions with her kids highlights the complexities of their dynamics. And though Queen Charlotte’s 13 children tend to appear collectively for the most part, they at least feel like real people now thanks to the show.
5Queen Charlotte Explains Why She Always Asks About The King’s Death
At the start of Queen Charlotte, the older version of the character asks, yet again, whether the king is dead. It’s an oft-repeated question across both shows, but the prequel series offers a reason behind the question. King George III’s mental health has been deteriorating for a long time, but so long as he’s still alive, Queen Charlotte can’t fully live for herself or be free from his love. His presence lingers and surrounds her; she isn’t able to grieve him fully because he is still alive, though he is not the George she once knew.
4Lady Whistledown Isn’t As Big A Focus
Dear gentle reader, Lady Whistledown is still a presence in Queen Charlotte, with Julie Andrews returning as narrator. However, the author has a much smaller role to play in the grand scheme of things. Lady Whistledown’s voice can be heard on occasion, but the story’s focus is less on the Ton and more on Queen Charlotte’s past and interior life — both of which Lady Whistledown is not privy to. The scribe being featured sporadically works for Queen Charlotte, allowing the series to maintain its focus on the characters and story at hand. Lady Whistledown’s society papers provide some intrigue without overshadowing the plot and characters.
3Bridgerton Prequel Shows Charlotte & George’s Love Beyond Short Glimpses
Considering Bridgerton’s conceit, it makes sense that Queen Charlotte only appears so often. The parent series conveyed the love Charlotte still had for George, but Queen Charlotte was able to expand on their relationship beyond the short glimpses offered in Bridgerton. In the prequel series, Queen Charlotte and King George’s love was shown from every angle — through the good times, the height of their romance, the tenderness, their conflicts, and the effects George’s mental health had on their relationship early on. Queen Charlotte offered a more nuanced and fleshed out version of their love story that Bridgerton couldn’t.
2Queen Charlotte Is More Grounded In Reality Compared To Bridgerton
Bridgerton, with its pastel flourishes and happy endings, is less grounded than Queen Charlotte. The prequel series being based on real life people gives it an edge that Bridgerton did not have. Of course, the majority of the show is fictitious, with the writers taking creative liberties to suit the story, but there is a sense of realism that gives the show oomph. Considering the British monarchy had its own conflict with Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Queen Charlotte provides touches of realistic complexity when exploring Charlotte and George’s relationship. Paired with Lady Danbury’s storyline, among several others, Queen Charlotte feels more firmly rooted.
1Queen Charlotte Has Higher Stakes Than Bridgerton
Bridgerton has stakes in terms of its central romances, but Queen Charlotte takes things to another level. Whereas some of Bridgerton’s characters may have ended up with a broken heart had they not gotten together, the whole of British society looked to Queen Charlotte and King George III’s relationship to work or risk the livelihoods of many of its citizens. Lady Danbury’s title was nearly taken away at the whim of parliament and Princess Augusta’s decisions, so there was a sense that things could fall apart very quickly if Charlotte and George couldn’t appear united in their roles and romantic relationship. Everything was on the line in Queen Charlotte, leading to much weightier consequences.