As if the promise of several more seasons of Bridgerton — the Netflix show is based on Julia Quinn’s series of eight novels, each of which focuses on a different Bridgerton sibling’s quest to find love — wasn’t enough to satiate the most enthusiastic fans of this frothy Regency-era hit, Deadline broke the news last week that a prequel is in the works. Also masterminded by Shonda Rhimes via her production company Shondaland, the upcoming spinoff will center on a young Queen Charlotte (played by Golda Rosheuvel in the current series), as well as explore the early lives of Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) and Bridgerton matriarch Violet (Ruth Gemmell).
While the Bridgerton storylines are works of fiction, Queen Charlotte is based on a real individual (she wasn’t a figure in the novels but added to the TV production, which has proven to be a very successful and popular decision by Rhimes et al). “Many viewers had never known the story of Queen Charlotte before Bridgerton brought her to the world, and I’m thrilled this new series will further expand her story and the world of Bridgerton,” Netflix head of global TV Bela Bajaria told Deadline.
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was born a German noble and became queen consort to George III upon their marriage in 1761. The couple had 15 children — their granddaughter Victoria, daughter of their third son Edward, would later become queen in 1837. As portrayed in Bridgerton, King George III suffered several bouts of mental illness which eventually became a permanent condition, making it impossible for his wife to be around him.
While in the series the monarch mostly fills her time indulging her proclivity for society gossip, in real life Queen Charlotte was also an amateur botanist and a passionate patron of music, especially the works of German composers like Handel and Mozart, who, at age 8, was invited to play at court. As her husband’s condition deteriorated in the late 18th century, Queen Charlotte found refuge in a country estate she purchased near Windsor Castle called Frogmore House. A few years later, in 1801, she commissioned an addition to the grounds: Frogmore Cottage.
The properties are now most famously associated with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who hosted their wedding reception at Frogmore House and later called Frogmore Cottage home for a brief period before permanently breaking away from their working royal roles in early 2020. The latter is currently where Princess Eugenie lives with her husband Jack Brooksbank and their newborn August.
In other happy — and quite expected — news, Bridgerton has also officially been renewed for seasons 3 and 4. Shondaland veteran Chris Van Dusen, who created the series for Netflix and served as showrunner for the first two seasons (season 2 is currently filming in the UK), will hand off the baton to Jess Brownell.
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