Dearest gentle reader, there's something you simply ought to know as an avid Bridgerton supporter and that is that before the Bridgertons came along there was a love story that changed the ton. At least, that is what Bridgerton novelist Julia Quinn and showrunner Shonda Rhimes want you to know. It is that very story that will be explored in stunning detail in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story both in its book form and highly-anticipated Netflix series release. The Regency romance is set to unpack the stunning story of a young Princess Charlotte on her journey to falling in love with the charming young King George and perhaps even more significantly, her reign to power as a ruler and unwavering figurehead of the ton. Ahead of the remarkable story's release, a first excerpt from the book has been unveiled to the public.
In a first look at the novel shared by Entertainment Weekly, we are given a brief insight into all the qualities that make Charlotte the royal we know and love later on. The first of which is the way in which she treasures her dearest relationships. This is beautifully explained by the simple fact that her favorite nickname is "Lottie." As the book describes it, not because it's simple but "because hardly anyone ever used it." The snippet reads: "You had to know her to call her Lottie. You had to know, for example, that in spring her favorite dessert was raspberry-apricot torte and in winter it was apple strudel, but the truth was she had a taste for fruit, and for sweets, and any sweet made of fruit was her absolute favorite." Something so minor signifies how much she values people who truly know her, which becomes incredibly prominent later on in her life in the friends she chooses to keep.
Secondly, there is also a perfect depiction of her immaculate ability to negotiate with force and logically present ideas. It is revealed in the excerpt that she manages to successfully impress her older brother Adolphus by writing a "surprisingly thorough legal document outlining the rights and responsibilities of all involved parties" after getting told off by her mother for swimming in the lake by her home. There is one other notable quality pouring through in the excerpt and that is her unapologetic fierceness. Evidently furious at her brother for forcing her into a carriage in pursuit of her pre-determined match, Charlotte is fearless when it comes to making her feelings known. Descriptors that immediately jump out include the "murderous" look she gives him, her "growl" of a response and her ever so sarcastic questioning of his brotherly jibes, to which she says: "Is there a point?"
The prominence of these characteristics is impossible to ignore because it is eventually all of these qualities that go on to make Charlotte an impeccable queen. As for how much she values relationships, this is expected to be explored in the precious sisterly bond she shares with Lady Agatha Danbury. In terms of her ability to make deals like any great leader, well, that becomes undeniably relevant in her rise to power. When it comes to her marvelous ability to speak her mind, something that the royal court struggles to come to terms, it shows that she was always very much ahead of her time.
From this simple snapshot alone, it's evident readers will be able to get to know this otherwise very mysterious character in a way that they do not know anyone else. After all, no other character in the Bridgerton universe has a dedicated story all to themselves. It also provides an exciting opportunity for the new discoveries to be fed into the forthcoming season of Bridgerton making for an even more emotive and unique watch.
Bridgerton's Diversity Came From Show Creator Shonda Rhimes
It's hardly a new thing for a series to become widely popular on the back of a hugely successful novel. However, it is a little less common to have a whole new story spawned on the back of the success of a series and then brought out in both formats. It's a true testament to the new heights of popularity Rhimes' colorful depiction took the story to on screens. Whilst any adaptation is subject to criticism, Bridgerton has been widely praised both amongst new and old fans alike. Rhimes has also been hailed for opting to depict the stories with a new diverse inclusiveness that is sadly still a rarity in period dramas today.
This vision is perfectly brought to life in the form of Queen Charlotte, who is a powerful female and Black monarch. A pillar of the show and now the star of her own story, Charlotte is a character actress Golda Rosheuvel is proud to portray and see explored further. In fact, Rosheuvel, who plays the adult royal in the main series, previously highlighted the importance of such a prominent figure being both female and Black. The show is also expected to address the reality of a young Black woman being brought into power through the societal shift created in the ton upon her union with George. In the upcoming Queen Charlotte series, the young royal is brought to life by India Amarteifio and her husband the king is portrayed by Corey Mylchreet. The latest trailer for the show hints at the rocky realities of royal romance, showing the pair going from harmoniously in love to grappling with secrecy and separation.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story hardback release will arrive on May 9. However, you can watch the drama unfold first on Netflix from May 4. In the meantime, you can read the full excerpt and watch the trailer for the series below.
CharlotteEssex, EnglandThe London Road8 September 1761Like all members of the German aristocracy, Princess Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was in possession of a great many names. Sophia for her maternal grandmother, Sophia Albertine of Erbach-Erbach, a countess by birth and a duchess by marriage. Charlotte for her father, Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who was born a second son and had died before he could assume the position of head of the family. Then there were the many and sundry double-barreled lands and properties that made up her heritage. Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Erbach-Erbach, of course, but also Saxe-Hildburghausen, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, and, if one wanted to go back far enough, Waldeck-Eisenberg.She enjoyed all of her names, and she was proud of every last one, but the one she liked best was Lottie.Lottie. It was the simplest of the bunch, but that wasn't why she liked it. Her tastes rarely ran to the simple, after all. She liked her wigs tall and her dresses grand and she was quite certain no one in her household appreciated the complexities of music or art as keenly as she did.She was not a simple creature.She was not.But she liked being called Lottie. She liked it because hardly anyone ever used it. You had to know her to call her Lottie.You had to know, for example, that in spring her favorite dessert was raspberry-apricot torte and in winter it was apple strudel, but the truth was she had a taste for fruit, and for sweets, and any sweet made of fruit was her absolute favorite.People who called her Lottie also knew that when she was a young girl she'd loved to swim in the lake by her home (when it was warm enough, which it rarely was). They also knew that when her mother had banned the practice (stating that Charlotte was too old for such frivolity), Charlotte had not spoken to her for three weeks. Peace was reestablished only after Charlotte had written a surprisingly thorough legal document outlining the rights and responsibilities of all involved parties. Her mother was not immediately persuaded by Charlotte's arguments, but her older brother Adolphus had intervened. Charlotte had made a good case, he'd said. She'd shown logic and intelligence, and surely that should be rewarded.Adolphus was the one who'd coined the pet name Lottie. And that was the true reason it was her favorite name. It had been bestowed upon her by her favorite brother.Pardon, her former favorite brother."You give the appearance of a statue," Adolphus said, smiling as if she had not spent the last three weeks begging him not to marry her off to a stranger.Charlotte wanted to ignore him. She'd have liked nothing better than to never utter a word in his direction for the remainder of both of their lives, but even she recognized the futility of such stubbornness. And besides, they were in a carriage in the southeast of England, and they had a long ride both ahead and behind them.She was bored and furious, never a good combination."Statues are works of art," she said icily. "Art is beautiful."This made her brother smile, damn his eyes. "Art can be beautiful to gaze upon," he said with some amusement. "You, on the other hand, are ridiculous to the eye.""Is there a point?" Charlotte bit off.He shrugged. "You have not moved an inch in six hours."Oh. Oh. He should not have gone there. Charlotte leveled her dark eyes on his with a ferocity that ought to have terrified him. "I am wearing Lyonnaise silk. Encrusted with Indian sapphires. With an overlay of two-hundred-year-old lace.""And you look beautiful," he said. He reached out to pat her knee, then hastily withdrew his hand when he caught her expression.Murderous."Apparently too much movement could cause the sapphires to shred the lace." Charlotte growled. She literally growled. "Do you want me to shred the lace? Do you?"She did not wait for him to answer. They both knew he was not meant to. "If that were not enough," she continued, "the gown sits atop a bespoke underpinning made of whalebone.""Whalebone?""Yes. Whalebone, Brother. The bones of whales. Whales died so I could look like this."At that, Adolphus laughed outright. "Lottie—"