Queen Charlotte Review
King George III and his bride — with a “Shonda-fied” twist.
By Nkatha Wainaina
Dearest gentle reader,
With the excitement of King Charles’ coronation still in the air, it would only be right to recognize another British monarch. From the lustful, steamy, romance drama, Bridgerton, comes its ‘almost historically accurate’ prequel: Queen Charlotte.
She is the queen we might recognise for her obsession with perfect matchmaking, always has a white poodle in close range, her audacious towering hair that must weigh a tonne, and a woman famous for asking if her husband is dead yet after every five minutes.
Queen Charlotte is a Netflix limited series that dares to tell the history of King George III and his bride — with a “Shonda-fied” twist, as India Ria Amarteifio who plays young Charlotte, so colourfully put it.
This story takes place in the mid-1700s. A 17-year-old German royal with Moor blood (of Moroccan descent) is taken away from her home without a choice and is forced to marry a man she has never seen. This move creates an alliance between the two countries.
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Charlotte’s — a black teenager — interracial marriage to King Charles leads to an event called “The Great Experiment”. This is meant to integrate black people into high society and become part of the nobility.
Charlotte, however, does not want to marry a man she has never met. She attempts to run away on her wedding day when a dashing George charms her into getting married.
As a wedding gift, George gifts Charlotte Buckingham’s house (or palace as we know it) yet George has no intention of living with her or performing the wedding night act. Young Charlotte, who is so taken by George’s charm and kindness, is very confused by the turn of events. She spends the following weeks alone in a castle with a husband who refuses to see her — and she doesn’t know why.
Older Queen Charlotte, on the other hand, struggles to give England an heir as all her thirteen children refuse to marry and have legitimate children. All the while still asking if her husband is dead yet. Ironically, in actual history, King George outlived his wife for two years. Queen Charlotte died in 1818, while King George III died in 1820.
Queen Charlotte brought lust, desire, and great storytelling to a shallow concept that current romance films lack. This prequel to the Bridgerton series has maintained the allure that attracted so many of us to the films in the first place. The second season was unable to reach the high bar set by the Duke of Hastings and Daphne in the first season. However, I can say with confidence that Queen Charlotte is a close second.
The actors; India Ria Amarteifio as young Queen Charlotte, Arsema Thomas as young Lady Danbury, Corey Mylchreest as young King George, and all the others leave a lasting impression. The costumes alone from the variety of gowns and hair that never breaks character, need a special award. The eloquence the script was written with gave me a fake accent for two days before I slept and forgot about my new character.
Well dearest gentle reader, in case all the gushing I have done up there is not clear, I absolutely recommend this series. I was unsure of the angle they would take; Shonda Rhimes has established herself as a creative and compelling producer, who can make any storyline work. I regret doubting her.
What makes the Bridgerton series so successful is its blend of modern and historical times — serving nostalgia and a bit of familiarity together. At the very least, it is addictive and you will not struggle watching it.
© 2023 Nkatha Wainaina
This article was first published on WordPress on 16th May 2023.
