Queen Charlotte is based on a real historial figure (Picture: Getty)
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’s release date has finally arrived, with the Netflix spin-off giving us an insight into the fan favourite’s whole life story.
The cast includes Golda Rosheuvel and India Amarteifio, who both play Queen Charlotte at different stages and Arsema Thomas as young Lady Danbury.
While the original Bridgerton series is based on the books by Julia Quinn, Queen Charlotte is not a character who appears on the pages. However, show creator Shonda Rhimes and Julia have now co-wrote a brand new novel named after the royal, which will be on sale in just a few days.
Charlotte is actually based on a real historical figure, although Shonda has emphasised that this is not entirely based on fact.
‘Although Queen Charlotte is a real historical figure, this is not a history lesson. It is very important that people understand that, because I’m telling the story of Queen Charlotte of Bridgerton, not of Queen Charlotte of England,’ she told The Express.
Queen Charlotte married King George III, which is an inspiration behind the series.
India Amarteifio plays Young Queen Charlotte and Corey Mylchreest is Young King George (Picture: Liam Daniel/Netflix)
‘I loved delving into the romance between Charlotte and King George, it was really fascinating,’ explained Shonda.
‘I also wanted to show people what that kind of love is like, even though they already know how it ends up. I thought it was a real challenge.’
While the show might not be a ‘history lesson’ we’re here to provide you with the real-life story of the British royal family.
When were George and Charlotte born?
George was born in 1738 in London to Frederick, Prince of Wales, and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha.
In 1744 Charlotte was born in the small principality of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, which is now part of Germany. As her father was a duke, and her mother was a princess Charlotte became a princess too.
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When did George and Charlotte marry?
George became King in 1760 at 22 years old. He was unmarried, and so Charlotte was chosen as his bride due to her good royal and protestant credentials. At 17, she moved from Germany to the UK for the marriage. They were married in 1761.
Did Charlotte and George have children?
They didn’t just have children, they had A LOT of children – 15 over 22 years, so it was a good job they lived in a palace.
The couple had 15 children altogether (Picture: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Just one year into their marriage, on 12 August 1762, their first child, George, The Prince of Wales, arrived into the world. He would later go on to become King George IV.
Okay now deep breath for the rest of their brood in order of birth – Prince Frederick, Prince William, Princess Charlotte, Prince Edward, Princess Augusta Sophia, Princess Elizabeth, Prince Ernest, Prince Augustus Frederick, Prince Adolphus, Princess Mary, Princess Sophia, Prince Octavius, Prince Alfred finally, Princess Amelia was born in 1783 bringing an end to their baby-making days.
13 of their children survived into adulthood. Prince Octavius and Prince Alfred, passed away aged 2 and 4 respectively, from smallpox.
Did Charlotte and George have a loving marriage?
From what the history books are able to tell us about this 250-year-old romance it seems the pair were pretty smitten.
In one 1778 letter obtained by the Royal Collection Trust she said: ‘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.’
Queen Charlotte wrote love letters to the King (Picture: The Print Collector/Getty Images)
The letter is the 2023 equivalent of an ‘I’m so glad you’re mine’ Instagram post.
They were said to have regular ‘date nights’ – of course Nando’s and Netflix weren’t around in the 17th Century so they settled for plays and concerts, and would even duet on the flute, which sounds adorable.
Where did George and Charlotte live?
George purchased Buckingham Palace in 1762, which was then called Buckingham House.
14 of the children were born there, and Charlotte was said to love it so much that it was often referred to as ‘Charlotte’s House.’
St Jame’s Palace was the official residence.
When did George start having mental health problems?
The first record of George’s mental illness is 1765. He had a bout of illness in 1788-89, then 1804 but was able to recover. He became too mentally unwell to rule in 1811, so his eldest son took to the throne.
The official royal website says: ‘We may never know exactly what was wrong with George III, it may have been hypomania, but researchers studying his papers have found that breakdowns often came amid turmoil at home, including the premature death of his youngest daughter Princess Amelia from tuberculosis.’
Hypomania is a defect in the blood that can cause mental illness when not treated. Charlotte remained loyal, but she was often scared or upset by his behavior.
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The illness could make him violent in the 1800s, so Charlotte had to avoid him for her own safety.
How did George die?
George died in 1820 aged 81. Charlotte died two years prior. The monarch suffered from dropsy, which caused painful swelling and eventual organ failure.
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The Bridgerton characters are based on real royals.