8 Things Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story Got Factually Wrong
As Lady Whistledown puts it in the opening title, the Bridgerton prequel is 'fiction inspired by fact.' But how much of it is fiction?
Here are eight things created by Shonda Rhimes that diverge from Queen Charlotte's real-life story.
Fiction 1: Charlotte spoke perfect English
Charlotte was a German princess, but her cultural and linguistic heritage is not highlighted in the prequel. While India Amarteifio's Charlotte speaks perfect English without an accent, the real-life Charlotte only learned the language after she married George and never managed to get rid of her German accent. Luckily, George spoke German, so the couple was able to communicate right from the start.
Fiction 2: Charlotte almost ran away from her wedding
In the show, Charlotte is portrayed as headstrong, rebellious and bold. She even attempts to run away from her own wedding to avoid being married to a 'troll.' Her real-life counterpart was quite different. The German Princess was well-behaved and modest and would never dream of walking out of her wedding.
Fiction 3: George was ill from the start
Right from the start, the show's plot revolves around George's mental illness and how the royal couple dealt with it. But in reality, the first signs of the illness did not appear until years after the couple's marriage, and Charlotte found out even later, as the members of the court managed to keep it from her for decades.
Fiction 4: Charlotte and George lived separately
In the show, George sees to it that he and his new wife have separate living arrangements. He does this to protect Charlotte from his illness and the crown from scandal. This storyline is complete fiction because the real-life George was perfectly healthy at the beginning of his reign.
Fiction 5: George sent Charlotte a Pomeranian as a gift
Sadly, this hilarious and heartwarming scene did not happen in real life. Charlotte did love Pomeranians and always kept them, but that love started long before she came to England. In fact, the Princess brought two Poms named Phoebe and Mercury with her from Germany.
Fiction 6: George's coronation was swift and glorious
In the show, the coronation is shown as part of Charlotte and George's love-hate escapade, and it's brief and not given much attention. The real-life event was painful, marked by errors and omissions, and took six hours plus a banquet, finishing late at night.
Fiction 7: Charlotte was not too upset by the death of Princess Charlotte of Wales
The series' current timeline shows that the Queen is frustrated by the death of her only legitimate grandchild, but she is not exactly grief-stricken. The real-life Charlotte, on the other hand, was deeply affected by the loss, as evidenced by contemporaries.
Fiction 8: Charlotte celebrated future Queen Victoria's conception
Charlotte and George's arc is beautifully wrapped up by the news that their son's wife is pregnant with the baby destined to become Queen Victoria. Unfortunately, the real Queen Charlotte passed away over six months before Victoria was born, so it is unlikely she ever knew about the impending heir.