Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story review: Netflix prequel is the diamond of the season

• 📺 Where to watch Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story: Netflix from Thursday, 4 May
  

• ⭐️ Our rating: 4/5
  

• 🍿 Watch it if you liked: Bridgerton, The Great, Victoria
  

• 🎭 Who's in it?: India Amarteifio, Golda Rosheuvel, Corey Mylchreest, Arsema Thomas, Adjoa Andoh
  

• ⏰ How long is it? 6 episodes between 53 minutes to 1 hour 26 mins each, binge release
  

• 📖 What’s it about? 17-year-old Charlotte is sent to England to marry George II, the King of England, without even laying eyes on him. Luckily for her, her betrothed has a sharp wit and even sharper cheekbones, but he hides a dark secret that threatens to collapse his marriage with the newly-crowned Queen. Can the couple make it through their hardships together?

When viewers first set eyes on Golda Rosheuvel’s Queen Charlotte in Bridgerton she became a firm fan favourite for her quick wit and fabulous outfits, so it comes as no surprise that the character has been given her own spin-off by Netflix.

Named after the royal, the limited series follows the character (played by India Amarteifio) as she struggles during her first years with her distant husband King George III (Corey Mylchreest), as well as her current-day quest to get one of their 13 children to wed and produce an heir to the throne.

Read more: Everything we know about Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

But that’s not all because Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) and Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) also get their time in the spotlight after two seasons spent in deference to the younger generation on the flagship series, while fans will also learn about the origins of the former as told through actor Arsema Thomas.

Watch the trailer for Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

Created by Shonda Rhimes, who also wrote four of the show’s six episodes, the prequel could have easily felt like a pale comparison to its source material (like The Witcher: Blood Origin was to The Witcher). But, in reality, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story proves it is much more than just a rinse and repeat of the original series.

Read more: Bridgerton takes Netflix streaming record

That’s not to say there isn’t a sweeping romance with steamy sex scenes, there is, but the stakes feel higher in the limited series than they have done before in the flagship show. Charlotte and George’s romance is just one part of the story, there is also mounting pressure on the Queen to have a child and secure the royal line, while George is forced to go through inhuman treatment when his “madness” becomes too difficult to hide.

Their interracial marriage is also used as a pawn for George’s mother, Princess Augusta (Michelle Fairley), who is trying to prove the legitimacy of an “experiment” in which wealthy people of colour were given land and titles. The new members of the Ton, Lady Danbury included, stand to lose everything should Charlotte and George’s marriage fall apart, which serves to add even more pressure on the young royal.

Amarteifio rises to the occasion of portraying a younger Charlotte, and she infuses the strong-willed Queen with charm while also balancing her inherent loneliness well. Mylchreest, too, does a good job of portraying a king at odds with his illness, while Thomas lends Lady Danbury a fierceness that lays the groundwork well for Andoh’s already established performance.

What other critics thought of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

Entertainment Weekly: A Bridgerton prequel that earns its pedigree (4-min read)

The Telegraph: Unexpectedly emotional spin-off will leave you weeping (2-min read)

The show also features an LGBTQ+ relationship of note, finally, which is just as moving as the top-billed romance between Charlotte and George. And the story deftly switches between its origin story and the current-day plights faced by Queen Charlotte, Lady Danbury, and Violet Bridgerton. Set shortly after the events of Bridgerton Season 2, this part of the narrative shows why the side characters deserve their story to be told just as much as the Bridgerton children.

Even though Queen Charlotte is a limited series, it certainly feels like there’s a lot more to be told. Given viewers are only privy to the first year or so in the royal couple’s relationship, it leaves you wanting more.

Perhaps this is by design and Shonda Rhimes intends to continue the story somehow, either in Bridgerton or in a direct follow-up, but what’s clear is that it’d be a shame not to see more of Amarteifio and Mylchreest.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is available to watch on Netflix from Thursday, 4 May.