As we gain momentum on one of the most anticipated Netflix shows from Shondaland since Bridgerton premiered on Christmas Day, 2020, we’ve dropped a trove of Queen Charlotte treats over these last few months, so we thought it pertinent to do a little refresh of everything we know thus far about Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
The plot, the cast, photos, videos — we’ve got them all and more as we head into a new era of the ton and this gorgeous rendition of the little-known story of Queen Charlotte.
Queen Charlotte is played by Golda Rosheuvel in the Bridgerton series, and her grace and wit, her ’tude and temper, and especially her outrageously huge wigs have thrust the regal powerhouse into our collective consciousness. With that, and because she is England’s first queen of Black ancestry, it only seemed natural to give the queen her own prequel story in which we become witness to the origins of one of England’s most iconic monarchs.
The Plot of Queen Charlotte
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is a limited series premiering all six episodes on Thursday, May 4, on Netflix. The story follows Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (played by India Amarteifio) as she’s thrust out of her aristocratic home in Germany and into the arms of King George III (Corey Mylchreest) — and the tricky courts of England — whether she likes it or not. To the relief of all involved, including both Charlotte and George, they actually kind of dig each other. And through some very low lows and wonderfully romantic highs, the newlyweds’ union not only sparks a great love story, but it also sparks a pivotal moment for English aristocratic culture, one that eventually creates a world where Bridgerton can exist.
Queen Charlotte is fashioned as a tale told through flashbacks, jumping from the Regency era to the Georgian era (we've got an explainer for that, too!), a generation before our beloved Bridgerton siblings come onto the scene. The new narrative shows Queen Charlotte — with her trusted queen’s man, Brimsley (Hugh Sachs, in an expanded role), at her side — trying to secure the throne by whipping her loving but slightly slovenly and spoiled adult children into shape as the next-in-line regals they should be. We’re also given more insight into her relationship with George, something that has only been teased in Bridgerton. For as kind and handsome as young King George is, he wrestles with personal ailments that threaten the couple’s new union.
There are also the queen’s besties, Lady Agatha Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) and Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell), both of whom find themselves at a crossroads on their own journeys as women of a certain age.
In the flashbacks, which make up the bulk of the new show, along with young Queen Charlotte, there are many recognizable characters from the Bridgerton series, albeit with a few years shaved off. In Georgian London, we’re introduced to young Violet (Connie Jenkins-Greig), young Agatha (Arsema Thomas), and young Brimsley (Sam Clemmett), along with new faces and new stories: the king’s mother, Princess Augusta (Michelle Fairley); Keir Charles as Lord Ledger, Violet’s father and friend to Lady Danbury; Tunji Kasim as the queen’s brother, Adolphus; Cyril Nri as Lord Danbury; and Freddie Dennis as the king’s man, Reynolds.
The series is created and written by showrunner Shonda Rhimes and executive produced by Rhimes, Betsy Beers, and series director Tom Verica.
The New Cast and Characters of Queen Charlotte
India Amarteifio as young Queen Charlotte
Charlotte enters her arranged marriage to the king of England, but she quickly realizes she’s marrying far more than just a man. London’s royal court proves daunting, especially to a young woman who is something entirely different than what the British royals expected. But Charlotte is a quick study, and her cunning and wit soon see her navigating the palace, her unpredictable husband, and British high society with panache.
Amarteifio began her career as a child, acting in West End theater productions like The Lion King as a young Nala and as part of the original cast of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Among her first television roles were roles in 2015 on The Interceptor and Doctor Who. She played Thandie Newton’s daughter in Line of Duty and had a role in the film Military Wives.
Corey Mylchreest as young King George III
While he is handsome and charismatic, young George also faces his own inner demons as he battles outer pressure from his mother, Princess Augusta, to marry and secure the royal line. The arrival of his new queen, with whom he now must share his bed, space, and life, means that he’ll have to confront those demons quickly if he’s to be able to both show her the love he wants to show her and rule his kingdom effectively.
This is Mylchreest’s first major role out of drama school. He had a small part in Netflix’s The Sandman and acted in the short film Mars, but the young Brit is taking on the challenge of this emotional role with immediate confidence.
Arsema Thomas as young Lady Danbury
We currently know Lady Danbury to be a wealthy, independent, and entirely self-sufficient woman of the ton, but in her younger years, Agatha found herself under the thumb of a much older husband and itching to carve out her position in society. Thankfully, Queen Charlotte’s arrival is the door that opened that opportunity. Agatha soon finds herself to be a trustworthy guiding light for the sometimes-naive queen, as well as a woman who is finding her own power and presence among London’s elite.
Making their TV debut in the role, Thomas (who prefers they/them pronouns) was born in Atlanta but grew up on the road with their parents, who were Nigerian and Ethiopian diplomats. They speak five languages and graduated from Yale with a master’s in public health. A change of heart turned them toward acting, and they starred in their first role, in the feature film Redeeming Love, in South Africa before signing on to play Lady D.
Michelle Fairley as Princess Augusta
Determined to maintain her family’s power amidst a changing Britain, the dowager princess does what it takes to secure her son’s place as monarch and her family’s power.
If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, you’ll certainly recognize Fairley from her turn as Lady Catelyn Stark, but the veteran Northern Irish actress has also been in Suits, 24: Live Another Day, and Gangs of London.
Sam Clemmett as young Brimsley
As the queen’s man, Brimsley at first suffocates her by always being there, five steps behind and doting on her every need. But Brimsley eventually becomes a bright spot of loyalty, companionship, and discretion for the young queen.
Clemmett, who’s been acting on British TV for the last decade and has recently broken out in the films Cherry and The War Below, is best known for his role as Albus Potter in the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Freddie Dennis as Reynolds
As the king’s man, Reynolds has been at George’s side for many years, and thus not only serves him with complete loyalty but also feels compelled to protect the king’s secret at all costs. And he’s happy to go head-to-head with anyone who feels otherwise.
After one episode of HBO’s The Nevers, this is Dennis’ first major TV role since graduating from the Oxford School of Drama in 2021.
Following the Red Carpet to Queen Charlotte
It feels as though it was just yesterday that we revealed our new young Queen Charlotte, played by Amarteifio. Her grace, poise, and loyalty give us goosebumps, and it’s only a matter of days before we get to see all that she has to offer us.
“She’s super-strong in times of complete downfall when there’s nothing to even hope for and it’s all bleak,” Amarteifio told Shondaland about her character. “Yet she still finds the power and the strength from somewhere. It’s a testament to her character.”
That same month, Netflix held court with its second annual global fan event, Tudum, which was chock-full of exclusive news, never-before-seen footage, trailers, and first looks, as well as interviews with Netflix’s biggest stars and creators.
It was there that Shondaland treated fans to a panel dedicated to all things Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte, full of sneak-peek photos and videos. Bridgerton stars Claudia Jessie and Luke Newton revealed their artistic sides in a friendly — and revealing — round of “Bridgerton Sibling Portraits,” hosted by Nicola Coughlan, who also unveiled a sneak peek at Lady Whistledown’s first newsletter of season three.
We were enticed even further when Shonda herself surprised everyone with an appearance in which she talked about how the Queen Charlotte spin-off came to be, gave praise and thanks to Bridgerton fans, and introduced an exclusive clip of her latest creation.
That exclusive first-look clip of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story teased us with a sweet scenario, revealing the moment when Charlotte (India Amarteifio) rather unexpectedly meets her husband-to-be, King George (Corey Mylchreest), just as she’s possibly, maybe, kinda trying to escape her own wedding.
As a 2023 New Year’s Day treat, the first image of Lady Danbury (Arsema Thomas) was revealed. Because while we get to see the origin story of our beloved Queen Charlotte, we also get that of Agatha Danbury too — that stoic, savvy, stand-up citizen of the ton who always seems to know what’s going on before everyone else. These two women form a bond very early on in Queen Charlotte’s reign, and as the image shows, there’s a lot at stake.
“I wish I could be my character!” Thomas told Shondaland. “She’s taught me so much. I’m much more reactive, and she is somebody who really thinks about what she’s going to do and what she wants, and how to achieve that. She’s so strategic. She reminds me a lot of my own mother, which I drew on, and someone who I aspire to be [like].”
Because we clearly love dropping bombs on holidays, this past Valentine’s Day, we also finally got a premiere date (again, Thursday, May 4!) for Queen Charlotte. There were also other big announcements revealed at Netflix’s exclusive fan event in which Rhimes, along with cast members India Amarteifio, Corey Mylchreest, Arsema Thomas, Golda Rosheuvel, Adjoa Andoh, and Ruth Gemmell, served up a veritable trove of Queen Charlotte goodies. Like: the next Ball!
After successful runs around the globe, the opulent extravaganza that is The Queen’s Ball: A Bridgerton Experience finally landed in New York City on April 27. If you need a little modern musical inspo to keep you in the Bridgerton mood in the meantime, check out this Spotify playlist dedicated to Lady Agatha Danbury, courtesy of Arsema Thomas, who plays the young Lady D in Queen Charlotte.
And as if all that wasn't enough, a parting gift from the exclusive fan event was a brand-new video teaser. In the minute-long video below, we were given a much broader look into the world of Queen Charlotte and King George. There’s some steaminess, there’s some scheming, and there’s some damn fine jewelry.
Last but not least, we learned that Julia Quinn and Rhimes had teamed up to write the Queen Charlotte book. Inspired by the series, the book will be on sale on Tuesday, May 9 (but you can pre-order your copy now!), cementing the young royal’s place in the literary world of Bridgerton.
Having never actually appeared in Quinn’s original books, Queen Charlotte was created to build out Shondaland’s on-screen world of Bridgerton. In the first two seasons of the series, the queen has seen fabulous growth, becoming a fan favorite for her fashion, her glorious hairstyles, and her unwavering ability to hold down the throne while facing adversities, both personal and public. And now, in the new Queen Charlotte series and book, we can go deeper into her backstory, reveling in the early romance between young Queen Charlotte and young King George, as well as learn how this woman helped change the very institution that she was beholden to.
With so much build up to Queen Charlotte, what else was there to do but celebrate the new prequel series with, naturally, a red carpet! On April 21, 2023 in London, fans were treated to a bevy of regal treats and talent turnout to usher in the new series. There were cakes, there was a harp player, there were statues come to life — the UK came to slay!
Naturally, our fearless leader, Shonda Rhimes, showed up in her own finery to fête the evening:
And it was all just the start! On April 26th, Queen Charlotte arrived stateside for the Los Angeles premiere that brought a pomp-and-circumstance culmination to our long, lushes road to the May 4 premiere of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
From here, all that's left, dear readers, is to watch the debut season of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story on May 4 on Netflix!
As you watch (and rewatch) the series, be sure to check back here for Queen Charlotte cast interviews and show features before, during, and after the premiere. To pass the time until then, catch up on everything we know about Bridgerton season three, listen and subscribe to Bridgerton: The Official Podcast, available on Apple, iHeart, and read Julia Quinn's original Bridgerton book series.
Valentina Valentini is a London-based entertainment, travel, and food writer and is also a senior contributor to Shondaland. Elsewhere, she has written for Vanity Fair, Vulture, Variety, Thrillist, Heated, and The Washington Post. Her personal essays can be read in the Los Angeles Times and Longreads, and her tangents and general complaints can be seen on Instagram at @ByValentinaV.
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