Queen Charlotte a Bridgerton Story Review:

A Bridgerton Story may be a prequel series to the hit period romance, but it stands on its own merits. Introducing young Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio), the series explores her rise to power and her romance with King George III (Corey Mylchreest).

Like Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte balances an ensemble cast and their characters’ various storylines, including Lady Agatha Danbury’s. While Bridgerton dives headfirst into its historical fantasy and the society that has been established, Queen Charlotte explores how exactly that world came to be. With only six episodes, Queen Charlotte manages to include things that Bridgerton has been unable to explore in two seasons. Each show is enjoyable for various reasons, but there are at least ten things that the prequel series manages to do better than its parent show.

The prequel series gets too caught up in establishing the monarchs’ love as the bridge between their society’s divide when it could have focused more on the romance itself, but Queen Charlotte has plenty of charisma, heart, and dramatic tension to make it worth recommending.

Decades before she becomes the royal Bridgerton’s characters interact with every social season, a young Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio) is thrown into a marriage she did not consent to, but would, according to her older brother Adolphus (Tunji Kasim), make England an ally of Germany and bridge the divide between races, which greatly affects Lady Agatha Danbury (Arséma Thomas) and her family. And so Charlotte marries King George III (Corey Mylchreest), who is initially charming and warm, but who harbors a secret about his health that risks his relationship and his standing as a ruler. Meanwhile, following the events of Bridgerton season 2, an older Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) is frustrated because none of her 13 children have heirs — at least not legitimate ones. And so she recruits Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) and Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) to help her in the matchmaking process.

When the series actually focuses on Charlotte and George’s romance — the adoration they clearly have for each other, the tension that stems from George’s secret, and their devotion to making their marriage work — the story soars. There’s a lot of drama to mine from their relationship, as there are internal and external conflicts at work that bring them closer together and also threaten to tear them apart. India Amarteifio and Corey Mylchreest have excellent chemistry, though the show doesn’t lean on it as heavily as it could have. As a limited series, Queen Charlotte separates the pair for longer than need be, prolonging the tension unnecessarily, especially considering the external drama and subplots that require balance.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the series is Lady Danbury’s story, namely as it pertains to her married life (sans the excessive sexual assault), status, and journey towards independence and self-worth.

How a young widow like Agatha made discreet life choices for the sake of a dignified future for herself and her kids is equally relevant in modern day.

Finally, the queen's reaction when the gender of the heir is revealed, explains the ingenuity of the makers in setting a bold narrative for the future.

Although there are countless scenes from present day where the queen despises the mad king and wants him dead, the climax scene in which the royal couple meet as their unassuming young and old selves will certainly leave you emotional and maybe even reinforce your belief in the institution of marriage.

The Bridgerton Story fly by as the creators have filled the 18th-century setting with passion and heart.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story does a better job at engaging you in the royal lives and time-travelling you into the 18th century than the two Bridgertons. Now, I want a second season of Queen Charlotte instead of a third season of Bridgerton.