On May 4, "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story" made its Netflix debut, luring viewers into the glitzy, romanticised reconstruction of Regency-era England.
The six-episode "Bridgerton" spinoff, which mostly focuses on the romance between Queen Charlotte and King George III, tells the tale of how the two of them met and how they eventually united to rule the UK for nearly sixty years. The cast is made up of younger and older versions of the same characters because the drama jumps back and forth in time.
India In later sequences, Golda Rosheuvel reprises her role from the main series while Ria Amarteifio plays teenage Charlotte. Younger George is portrayed by Corey Mylchreest, while James Fleet, who has a small part in the "Bridgerton" spinoff, plays his senior counterpart.
As viewers are aware, Julie Andrews' Lady Whistledown reads a disclaimer at the beginning of the first episode of the programme. She claims that the narrative presented on television is merely "fiction inspired by fact," not a "history lesson." How much of the show was fiction and how much fact, though?
1) It's true that Charlotte and George first connected in a garden.
The television programme portrays Queen Charlotte's engagement to and marriage to King George III of England realistically; she was 17 at the time.
The wedding, which took place at the Chapel Royal in St James's Palace on September 8, 1761, required the young royal to travel from her native Germany.
The biography "Queen Charlotte" by historian Olwen Hedley confirms that the soon-to-be newlyweds' first meeting took place in one of the royal gardens, notwithstanding the showrunners' liberties with the events leading up to their wedding.
Charlotte arrived at the garden gate and "threw herself" at George's feet, per the main texts Hedley referenced. Then he "raised her up" and took her into the palace, passing through the garden on the way.
2) It's true that Charlotte and George were married six hours after their initial meeting.
In the first episode of "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story," viewers learn about Charlotte's trip from Germany to the UK, her fast courtship of George, and her quick introduction to the English court.
But in reality, her marriage actually took place rather quickly. Charlotte left for Britain on August 17, 1761, according to the website of the British royal family. She arrived in London on September 8 after a protracted and dangerous sea voyage. She married the king six hours later.
3) It's true that the couple had a large family—15 kids in total.
One of the funnier scenes in the Netflix series has to be when Queen Charlotte interacts with her adult offspring and urges them to get married so that their family line would continue. This is played by Golda Rosheuvel.
Viewers learn that Charlotte has 13 children who are still alive in the first episode. Since the real queen and king had a total of 15 children together, the figure in the show is fairly accurate.
In accordance with how many kids were portrayed as adults in "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story," two of their kids, Prince Octavius and Prince Alfred, passed away from smallpox at the ages of 2 and 4, respectively.
Sadly, Charlotte and George also lost their daughter Princess Amelia, who passed away from smallpox at the age of 27. In the series, her passing was not depicted or mentioned.
4)It's true that Charlotte and George both loved the arts.
In the "Bridgerton" spin-off, George makes it clear to Charlotte right away that he values the arts. Later on in the programme, the couple participates in a number of dances, and in episode three, Charlotte demonstrates her appreciation of music by having a young Mozart perform for her and her ladies-in-waiting.
The royal couple's passion of the arts, music, and dance is real, according to Historic Royal Palaces. They enjoyed going to theatres, attending plays and concerts, and even spending time together playing the flute and keyboard.
Furthermore, Charlotte did meet and request a performance from a young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The Royal Collection Trust claims that Mozart performed for the royals in the UK in 1764 when he was 8 years old. Later on in life, he wrote six sonatas as a tribute to Charlotte.
5)False: George didn't have much of a say in who he married, Charlotte.
In the programme, Princess Augusta, George's mother, and her courtiers are credited for finding him a bride and planning the wedding. Reynolds, his valet, tells George that his mother got him a bride in episode four, which goes back to George's perspective of the first episode.
In contrast to the television dramatisation, George actively participated in the hunt for his wife. Charlotte was chosen by George expressly because, in the opinion of historian Catherine Curzon's article for History Extra, she was a fine royal and, more crucially, a protestant. She was considered to be accommodating, which was another plus.
6)False: Charlotte received her first Pomeranian as a present from George.
Charlotte and George's relationship deteriorates after their wedding in the programme. In the midst of their conflict and physical separation—George resides at one royal home while Charlotte resides at another—he sends Charlotte a gift in the form of a Pomeranian puppy, which she refers to as a "deformed bunny."
However, according to Harper's Bazaar, Charlotte already owned several Pomeranians before she wed George. According to the article, Charlotte brought two Pomeranians, Phoebe and Mercury, with her when she initially arrived in the UK and later gave her royal kin more puppies she had produced.
7)False: Before marrying Charlotte, George had his first episode of mental illness.
In the television show, George's hesitation to wed Charlotte was primarily caused by his concern over how his mental health would impact their union. When his mother informs him that a marriage to a German princess has been arranged on his behalf in episode four, he seems to start having a mental breakdown. Just 22 years old at the time of his wedding, George.
The king's historical medical records, which were supplied by the Clinical Medicine journal via the National Library of Medicine, do not match the timeframe. Clinical Medicine claims that George had mental health problems when he was 27 but was otherwise well up until he was 50 and developed a severe psychotic disease in 1789.
Since George's passing in 1820, there have been a number of ideas regarding his mental state, as Insider's Claudia Willen and Ayomikun Adekaiyero previously reported. He may have had porphyria, a genetic blood ailment that can lead to confusion, hallucinations, and paranoia, according to one idea that has recently surfaced.
According to History.com, various historians have hypothesised that the monarch suffered from a mental ailment as a result of studying his journals. According to a 2013 BBC story, a study from St. George's University of London discovered that the monarch's letters exhibited characteristics that were comparable to those of people going through the manic period of psychiatric disorders like bipolar disorder.
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