How is Queen Charlotte connected to Bridgerton? Explained

Bridgerton season 3 premiered on Netflix on May 16, and it continues the story of the powerful Bridgerton family in England during the Regency era. While the Bridgerton family is one of the most powerful families in England (as per the series), it is Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) who maintains the seat of power as the Queen of the United Kingdom.

Queen Charlotte was first introduced in season 2. Her character dazzled whenever she appeared and commanded an air of respect. In May 2023, Shonda Rhimes introduced viewers to the early days of Queen Charlotte through the prequel series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.

The series gained immense popularity as it traced the ascent of a young Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio) to power. The series weaved two timelines together as it also followed Queen Charlotte's time as the consolidated ruler of the United Kingdom. This article explores how Queen Charlotte is connected to the timeline of the main series.

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How does Queen Charlotte connect to Bridgerton?

The prequel series delved deeper into the regal Queen's past. It introduced viewers to a young Charlotte, who gets wedded to Prince George III of England (Corey Mylchreest). The series portrayed the struggles of the young Charlotte as she dealt with the difficulties of social constraints and the mental health issues of her husband.

The series also simultaneously portrayed a headstrong Queen in the timeline of the main series. The timeline portrayed in Queen Charlotte can be placed before the concluding events of season 2 of the main series.

This is because, in a moment from Queen Charlotte, the Queen questions Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmel) on how she managed to arrange two of her children's weddings within two years. This hinted at the successful marriages of Daphne (Phoebe Dyenver) and Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey).

Apart from the merged timeline of the two series, Queen Charlotte also connects to Bridgerton through her actions in the past. The Prince Regent is seldom ever acknowledged in the main series as his declining mental state drove him into privacy. The prequel series illustrates how Charlotte grew to be such a powerful force and how her tight hold on power was a result of her hardships.

Owing to their significant influence on England's social scene, Queen Charlotte squares off with Lady Whistledown (Julie Andrews and Nicola Coughlan) to maintain the monarchy's authority. This event occurs in season 2 of the main series.

Her actions can be traced to the backstory developed in the prequel series. The Queen is cautious of Lady Whistledown because of her desperation. Her main area of influence as a royal woman was the social scene.

In the final episode of the prequel series, Queen Charlotte showcased her skill at deft political maneuvering when she threw a ball to convince Parliament that King George was still a worthy ruler. As she competes with Lady Whistledown and tries to uncover her identity, the Queen represents the same social domination from the prequel series.

The reasons behind the Queen's influence showcased in season 2 of the main series are deftly portrayed in the prequel series. It also provides a detailed backstory about her struggles and context about other characters like Lady Agatha (Adjoa Andoh). The prequel series highlighted an illicit romance between Agatha and Lady Violet's father. Violet did uncover this affair at the end of season 2, which might significantly impact their relationship in season 3.

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Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is currently available for streaming on Netflix.