How ‘Queen Charlotte’ connects to ‘The Bridgertons’ and where it sits in the timeline of the Netflix series

Spoilers for ‘Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’ ahead.

Netflix has finally given fans their first expansion to The Bridgertons universe (the bridgegiversefor connoisseurs) with his spin-off ‘Queen Charlotte: A Story of the Bridgertons’.

The delightful six-episode miniseries brings together all the elements of the Bridgertons we’ve come to know and love.: the sweet voiceover of Lady Whistledown (Julie Andrews), classic covers of modern pop songs, steamy sex scenes and just enough wisteria like to drown But this series focuses on the Regency-era monarch, who’s long been a scene-stealing icon in the original series, played by Golda Rosheuvel with a rotating buffet of fabulous wigs.

Subtitled ‘A Bridgerton Story’, ‘Queen Charlotte’ is closely connected to her original seriesmainly because the script, written by the creator Shonda Rhimes, intertwines the two timelines of the young Carlota, played by India Amarteifio, and her counterpart in ‘The Bridgertons’, Rosheuvel.

Rosheuvel has spoken about how Rhimes ensured that the two eras would not just coexist on screen, but come together, mostly through familiar faces and references that the fandom would spot. “Shonda has been really clever in connecting the worlds, connecting the two series together”said in Radio Times.

“The universe revolves within itself, so it will be fascinating to see if fans notice the little nuances and the easter egg that we have put in both productions. It’s a fascinating way of telling the story.”

In the scenes in the present, we’re shown a familiar cast of characters, with Adjoa Andoh returning as Lady Danbury and Ruth Gemmell as Lady Bridgerton, meaning that we can know where exactly this story fits in the general timeline of ‘The Bridgertons’which has just premiered its second season.

Where is ‘Queen Charlotte’ in the timeline of ‘The Bridgertons’?

The series begins with the future Queen Carlota (Amarteifio). In the opening scenes, young Charlotte marries King George III: a man she has never met, and who leads a country far away from her own. As she travels from Germany to England with her brother Adolphus (Tunji Kasim) in a rather low mood, we jump to what we know about ‘The Bridgertons’.

The mischievous but energetic Queen Charlotte (Rosheuvel) wakes up in the middle of the night to the news that a doctor is at the palace gates. She scolds him and complains about the way he has spoiled her restful sleep, telling him, “If I could still behead people, you’d be in line.” But she comes with the tragic news that his daughter-in-law, the Princess Royal, has died in childbirth along with her grandson, who was to be the heir to the throne.

“Dear reader,” Lady Whistledown begins, returning to our lives like that long-lost best friend who returns loaded with gossip to tell us. “While our hearts grieve over the loss of the Princess Royal, our heads grieve even more for the future of the monarchy itself.”.

We are told that the crown is now in crisis, with no heir in sight, despite an impressive proliferation of illegitimate children fathered by the 13 children born to King George and Queen Charlotte. The queen, a millionaire matchmaker where ever they are, gets to work and tells her children that they must marry and procreate soon..

These current scenes are at first very far from the eternal spring to which ‘The Bridgertons’ have accustomed us. Instead, we’re in the winter months with dour grayscale scenes that are further darkened by the fact that the Queen and her court wear black mourning after the death of the Princess Royal. So, Where is this story, which takes place simultaneously with young Carlota’s love story with her husband Jorge, related to the place where we last left the Bridgertons? There are some clues that the most astute viewers have surely seen.

The first is a brief scene in which Lady Bridgerton plays with not one but two babies, who appear to be her grandchildren. Her daughter Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and the Duke (Regé-Jean Page) had their first child at the end of the first season and we got to see the adorable baby in the second season.

Since Daphne and the Duke have five children in the Julia Quinn novels on which the series is based, this could be their second child.. We’re initially left wondering if the second baby could be none other than Kate’s (Simone Ashley) and Anthony’s (Jonathan Bailey) first child, but a comment from Lady Bridgerton later leads us to dismiss the theory.

While visiting an art exhibit with Lady Danbury, the Bridgerton matriarch briefly mentions that Anthony is still on his honeymoon.. AHA! This gives us the clearest indication of where Queen Charlotte’s drama fits into the series.

The second season of ‘The Bridgertons’ concludes in an epic and frothy way, with kanthony finally united in marriage after a whirlwind romantic style enemies-to-lovers in the Netflix series. However, after Kate and Anthony finally declare their love for each other, the series advances six months until they are already married and have just returned from a honeymoon abroad.

So, it seems that the death of Queen Charlotte’s daughter-in-law and her subsequent matchmaking efforts for her sons take place in this six-month period that flies by at the end of the second season.before the happy springtime scene at the Bridgerton family home in the last scene.

While this six-episode series is likely a standalone spin-off piece, the story brings some familiar characters and stories to the forefront, and is the perfect backdrop ahead of the show’s third season. It’s exciting to think about the questions we’re left with at the end of ‘Queen Charlotte’: What happened to Reynolds? Did Queen Charlotte really secure an heir to the throne? These are issues that could well arise elsewhere in this growing bridgegiverse.