[Spoiler Alert: The below contains spoilers from Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story Season 1.]
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story may be a spinoff of Shondaland’s popular Regency Era series, but the romance at the heart of this show is just as swoon-worthy as any of the pairings from Bridgerton.
And while much of Queen Charlotte’s (Golda Rosheuvel) love story plays out in the past between the younger version of her (played by India Amarteifio) and Young King George (Corey Mylchreest), our Bridgerton-era ruler is dealing with trials and tribulations aplenty as she scrambles to secure the royal line by pushing her children to procreate with legitimate partners.
When it came to delving into Charlotte’s home life, Rosheuvel tells TV Insider, “It’s so thrilling because in Bridgerton, you only get a little glimpse, and those are the scenes that the fans always talk to me about.” Up until now, viewers had never seen the Queen’s children, but they play a major role in her storyline, something that Rosheuvel was only able to imagine while filming Bridgerton.
(Credit: Liam Daniel/Netflix)
“Shonda [Rhimes] actually writes 13 people to be the kids. So the physical [manifestations of these kids] have really informed the imagination for me. And last year, I was filming Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte at the same time, so that was a really interesting gathering of information,” the actress reveals.
“It’s really thrilling to be able to do those more intimate scenes that make her a more rounded character,” Rosheuvel adds. “We see her as a mother, as a woman who is just in the throes to get married and the complex relationships that she has with her children. I think it’s really thrilling to be able to do that.”
As for whether or not Charlotte’s own relationship or experiences in this spinoff will impact her matchmaking in future seasons of Bridgerton, Rosheuvel says, “I think it’s a really beautiful, complex journey for a woman like Charlotte because you have the love that you have for your husband George — just George. But then you have a duty and the constraints that that has. So it’s really interesting to play that kind of push and pull.”
In other words, Charlotte’s still a woman in love, but her duty to the royal line and her station as Queen is also just as important, hence her interest in the social season’s Diamond. “I think we have approached that really well, the struggles of love within this constraint and society, and especially between Charlotte and George,” Rosheuvel says. “And in Queen Charlotte, you see that, the constraints of duty.”
“There is love there, but also the political side of it, the duty side of it. It’s fascinating,” Rohseuvel remarks. Only time will tell just how it may play into Bridgerton, but for now, bask in the romantic glow of Queen Charlotte streaming now on Netflix.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Streaming now, Netflix