Dearest reader, it appears that Netflix and Shondaland are expanding the world of Bridgerton with a spinoff series that will surely delight you! Last May, Netflix announced that an untitled Queen Charlotte spinoff series is in the works. The spinoff now has an official title and will be called Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. The story will follow the young Queen's life before royalty. Bridgerton's showrunner, and founder of Shondaland, Shonda Rhimes, will be writing and producing the eight-episode series with longtime partners Tom Verica and Betsy Beers joining as executive producers. In 2017, Rhimes entered a multi-year development deal to produce Netflix originals.
"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's Head of Global TV, Bela Bajara, said in a statement. "Shonda and her team are thoughtfully building out the Bridgerton universe, so they can keep delivering for the fans with the same quality and style they love."
The popular Regency-era show became a major hit when it was first released in 2020, and now it's the streamer's biggest series ever. Netflix has since made it its mission to appease these devoted Bridgerton fans by expanding the universe with spinoffs featuring other beloved characters. This series has also generated quite a lot of buzz, with high hopes that it'll be just as successful. Here is everything you need to know about Netflix and Shondaland's latest Regency-era project, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
Updated October 2022 by Jessica Peerez: If you're excited about the latest Bridgerton sequel, you'll be happy to know we've updated this article with additional info about Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
Queen Charlotte: The Plot
The Queen doesn't have as big a role in Julia Quinn's novels, so this series will likely stray away from the source material. Based on the character descriptions Netflix released a few months back, the series will follow a young Charlotte who is betrothed to marry the mysterious King George against her will. Not what the royals expected, her arrival sparks a societal shift, and the young Queen must learn to navigate her new life in London society.
As per Netflix,
"Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story tells the story of the young monarch in the days before her excellent wigs and her quest to uncover the identity of Lady Whistledown. The series delves into Charlotte's and King George III’s great love story and how it sparked a societal shift, creating the world of the ton inherited by the characters in Bridgerton."
A much anticipated first look at the new sequel was released at TUDUM 2022, Netflix's global virtual fan event.
Queen Charlotte: The Cast
A few months ago, Netflix revealed its entire cast list, revealing newcomer India Armarteifio playing the young Queen Charlotte. Armarteifio is most known for her work in Line of Duty and has appeared in one episode of Sex Education. Adjoa Andoh, who plays Lady Danbury on the show, talking of Armarteifio, said:
“India has absolutely grabbed all of that and made it her own and run with it and when I look at India, I see Golda. I see young Charlotte become older Charlotte and it’s a beautiful thing.”
The rest of the cast includes an onslaught of fresh faces, including Arsema Thomas, who will be making her television debut as a young Agatha Danbury. Agatha is said to be a "guiding light" to the Queen, with her keen knowledge of marriage life and the London society Charlotte now finds herself in. Corey Mylchreest will play a young handsome, and charismatic King George. Amarteifio, talking of her experience working with Mylchreest, had only high praise for the actor.
"Working with Corey has been phenomenal. He is someone I can trust and go to for honest advice. He’s someone who really, really cares about the job, which comes across in every way in his acting and in our scenes together."
It has also been confirmed that other fan-favorite characters, in addition to Andoh, will be returning. Ruth Gemmell will reprise her role as Lady Bridgerton, while Golda Rosheuvel will take on her role as Queen Charlotte. Fans will be able to see a dynamic friendship grow between the three as they are all trying to make it into society. The three actresses have voiced to TVLine their excitement about expanding this world, saying, "These women have a longtime friendship" and that their friendship will be essential in shaping this series to be a success because fans of Bridgerton already love seeing these women interact with each other.
A young Lady Bridgerton has still yet to be cast, but another Bridgerton familiar, Hugh Sachs, will return as the Queen's aide, Brimsley. Newcomer Sam Clemmett will be playing the younger Brimsley, and fans will be able to see how he came to be the Queen's loyal confidant. Game of Thrones' Michelle Fairley will play Princess Augusta, the Dowager Princess who is determined to secure her son's place as the monarch amidst a changing Britain.
Everything Else We Know
This new series will not only expand the world of Bridgerton, but it will focus on another beloved character that many fans are dying to know more about. There has been a rumor of more expansion in the Bridgerton Universe and that it might not end with this Queen Charlotte spinoff. Julia Quinn has not written beyond the Bridgerton family, but she has voiced her support for exploring other characters from the show. Specifically Violet and Edmund Bridgerton's story.
"I have always felt that I could not write a full-length novel about Violet and Edmund Bridgerton, despite countless requests from readers," Quinn wrote on her website. "I thought (and still think) it would be too difficult, knowing that he would die so young. But I wanted to show a bit of their courtship, and the episodic nature of Violet in Bloom gave me the perfect opportunity to do this."
Little is written of her youth with Edmund Bridgerton from Quinn's set of collections titled, The Bridgertons: Happily Ever. Violet Bridgerton's backstory will be further explored in the series, expanding more from what we already know of the matriarch of the family, who was slightly overlooked for her intelligence in the first season.
Release Date
With production for the show underway, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story will most likely premiere sometime in 2023. Hold on, dearest readers, the wait might be long, but the results will surely satisfy! The world of Bridgerton has only just begun, and there is still so much more to see.