Bridgerton has captivated over 63 million households since it dropped on Netflix on Christmas Day. Based on author Julia Quinn’s best selling series of books, the regency-period drama has enthralled us with its witty banter and decadent costumes. But of all the wonderful characters in the series, none seems to have captured our attention quite like Queen Charlotte, who presides over The Ton’s social scene with icy stares as the young ladies make their debut on London’s marriage market. Here, Royal Central looks at the real-life Queen that inspired the hit series.
Portrayed in the series by actress Golda Rosheuvel, Queen Charlotte was born as Sophia Charlotte on May 19, 1744, at Mirow in Germany. She was the youngest daughter of Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg, styled as the Prince of Mirow, and Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The family ruled over Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a small north-German duchy located within what was part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time.
At the tender age of 17, the young German Princess was sent to England to wed King George III, who she had never met. Biographer Flora Fraser noted that she’d had a “very mediocre education,” spoke no English and lacked any interest in politics, which appealed to the King, who had recently ascended the throne at the age of 22 following the death of his grandfather, King George II.
The marriage took place just six hours after her arrival in her new country at the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace on September 8, 1761. The wedding celebrations lasted for three days, and it is believed George warned her shortly after to “not meddle” in affairs of state.
Charlotte quickly got on with her most important job at the time- providing an heir. Less than 12 months after her marriage, on August 12, 1762, a son was born. Taking the title of George, Prince of Wales, he would later become King George IV. The Queen gave birth to 15 children in her life, with 13 surviving.
Despite her husband’s warnings, Queen Charlotte took an interest in governance and had a subtle influence over the King. According to Historic Royal Palaces, the pair was a “doing couple” who spent the first 25 years of their marriage “happily’. However, as the years went on, the Queen’s influence became more prominent as she grappled with her husband’s declining mental health.
In 1788, King George experienced a months-long depressive episode which left him unable to fulfil his royal duties. It was to be the first of four episodes across the next three decades which would earn him the nickname “The Mad King” and herald in the Regency period with his son, the Prince of Wales being appointed regent while Charlotte acted as his guardian.
Scenes from Bridgerton show the Queen dealing with her husband’s mental health as it stabilises and declines, which it did in real life over many decades.
Today Charlotte’s best-known legacy is of a patron of the arts. George III and Queen Charlotte both loved music and founded The Royal Academy of the Arts. And in scenes referenced in Bridgerton, the Queen is credited with discovering a young Mozart. The Royal Collection Trust confirms that at the age of just eight, Mozart accompanied Charlotte while she sang. The musician would go on to dedicate his Opus 3 and six sonatas to her.
The Queen was also a passionate amateur botanist who oversaw the expansion of the gardens at Kew Palace. As explorers including Caption James Cook brought new varieties of plants home from their travels, the Queen ensured the gardens were greatly enriched and expanded.
Queen Charlotte died in 1818 at the age of 74. She had spent over 57 years on the throne of England. She is buried at St George’s Chapel. Her husband passed less than a year later. While he outlived his wife, the King is believed to have been so catatonic at the time of her death, he was unaware of her passing.
Charlotte’s story has had a resurgence in interest in recent years as debate rages over the possibility she had mixed racial heritage, with some dubbing her ‘Britain’s first black queen’.
Historian Mario de Valdes y Cocom proposed in the 1960s that several official portraits of the Queen show her possessing distinctly African features. He further claimed that she was celebrated by black colonial subjects, who believed she had African ancestry. He also cited a number of first-hand accounts of the Queen, which use outdated and derogatory racially-charged language, such as Charlotte being referred to as a Blackmoor. However, other historians have pointed out that at the time the term referred to a person who was Muslim and not of African descent.
While Charlotte’s heritage is still debated, the possibility she was of mixed-race heritage captured the attention of the makers of Briderton, who added her to the series, despite the Queen not appearing in Quinn’s novels set during the time of her reign.
Bridgerton showrunner Chris Van Dusen explained he was inspired by not only the possibility of Charlotte having mixed-raced heritage but also of the possibility of her using her position to help other people of colour. “It made me wonder what that could have looked like,” he said in an interview with The New York Times. “Could she have used her power to elevate other people of colour in society? Could she have given them titles and lands and dukedoms?”
