21 Facts About The Real Queen Charlotte And King George III That You Probably Don’t Know

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21 Facts About The Real Queen Charlotte And King George III That You Probably Don’t Know

There are obviously some massive spoilers ahead for Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story!

If you’ve been on Netflix in the past few days, you’ve probably noticed that there’s a new No. 1 series in the US. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is the first Bridgerton spinoff series, and it’s already all anyone wants to talk about.

Liam Daniel / Netflix

The series also flips back and forth between the early days of their marriage and the Bridgerton timeline, where Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) is pressuring her children to marry and produce another royal heir.

Liam Daniel / Netflix

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is receiving rave reviews, especially for India and Corey’s chemistry as Charlotte and George. Namely, it’s allowing people to see Charlotte’s Bridgerton story in a whole new way.

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So because Charlotte and George are, obviously, based on the real Queen Charlotte and King George III, here are 21 facts about the real people (and their real marriage):

1. First, just like in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Charlotte departed Germany for England alongside her brother to marry King George III. Charlotte arrived on Sept. 8, 1761, and married George that same night.

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2. Charlotte’s name was reportedly a last-minute addition to the list of potential suitors for King George, and he chose her because he “liked what he heard of her” and loved that she was well-educated, modest, and a musician.

Hulton Archive / Getty Images

3. It is believed that Charlotte was mixed race, which is why the casting of India Amarteifio and Golda Rosheuvel in Bridgerton is so significant. A genealogist named Mario de Valdes y Cocom traced Charlotte’s ancestry back to the fifth king of Portugal, who reportedly had a Black mistress.

Hulton Archive / Getty Images

Due to the royal inbreeding, the “physical characteristics” associated with Madragana, the king of Portugal’s mistress, it’s believed her ethnicity stayed within the family’s genes. Most historians are skeptical of the claims, but Bridgerton decided to “take [it] in a different direction than what the history books have said happened,” according to Queen Charlotte director Tom Verica.

4. Queen Charlotte’s Black characteristics are evident by the queen’s portraits at the time, especially the ones created by artist Allan Ramsay. All of this has led to people thinking of Charlotte as “Britain’s first Black queen,” a conversation that was brought up once again when Meghan Markle married Prince Harry.

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5. Unlike most marriages at the time, Charlotte and George had a pretty happy one. They reportedly even shared a bedroom, which was “unusual” for royal couples at the time. However, Charlotte wasn’t allowed to have many friendships, at the request of George, so she spent a lot of time alone.

Nick Wall / Netflix

6. In fact, it’s widely reported that King George III never took a mistress, and was faithful to Queen Charlotte, which was rare at the time, especially within the royal family.

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7. Over the course of their marriage, Queen Charlotte and King George had 15 children, starting with George, Prince of Wales, who was born in 1762 — less than a year after they got married.

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8. King George III grew to love Queen Charlotte during their marriage. He reportedly said, “The queen is my physician, and no man can have a better; she is my friend, and no man can have a better.”

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9. Meanwhile, Charlotte also held George in high esteem and came to love him as well. In a letter to him in 1778, she wrote, “You will have the benefit by your voyages to put Spirit in every body, to be more known by the world, and if possible more beloved by the people in general. That must be the case, but not equal to the love of her who subscribes herself: your very affectionate friend and wife, Charlotte.”

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10. The cause of King George III’s mental illness remains unknown to this day, however it is believed he had bipolar disorder and/or porphyria, a rare disease that affects the nervous system and blood.

National Galleries Of Scotland / Getty Images

The play The Madness of George III popularized the “Mad King” moniker often given to George. More recently, he was depicted in Hamilton.

11. After King George’s mental illness became known in 1765, the Minority of Heir to the Crown Act of 1765 was enacted, which states that if the king should become “permanently” unable to rule, Charlotte or the king’s mother would take his place. At the time, Charlotte was apparently unaware of the king’s mental illness.

Nick Wall / Netflix

12. In 1811, when King George III was officially deemed unfit to rule George, Prince of Wales, became regent, however Charlotte remained George’s guardian until her death in 1818.

Heritage Images / Getty Images

In fact, this is why this period of British history is known as the “Regency period.”

13. Similar to Bridgerton, George established the first debutante ball in 1780 in honor of Charlotte’s birthday. It would come to be known as Queen Charlotte’s Ball, and it was held every year at Buckingham Palace until Queen Elizabeth II ended the tradition in the 1950s.

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The ball originally served as a fundraiser for the Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital, a maternity hospital that Queen Charlotte helped.

14. Around the time of their marriage, King George purchased a nearby property named Buckingham House. He would later move in with the queen and the property expanded and became known as Buckingham Palace.

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Queen Charlotte reportedly loved Buckingham Palace so much it became known as “The Queen’s House.”

15. Charlotte did have two beloved dogs, Phoebe and Mercury, two Pomeranians who she brought to England when she married King George III. The two dogs were even immortalized in a famous royal portrait of the queen.

Liam Daniel / Netflix

16. As shown in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, George was subjected to various forms of torture in an attempt to “cure him” of his mental illness. All of the methods were meant to “draw out the king’s madness.”

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17. Charlotte loved music so much that she had Mozart, who was only eight years old, perform for her and he was invited to perform at the celebration for the fourth anniversary of King George III’s ascension to the throne in 1764.

Brandstaetter Images / Getty Images

18. As depicted in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, George studied science, in fact he was the first king to do so, and he loved agriculture, which earned him the nickname “Farmer George.”

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19. Charlotte was reportedly an amateur botanist. In fact, her interest in botany is the reason the South African flower, “The Bird of Paradise” was named “Strelitzia reginae” in her honor.

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20. Charlotte loved art and had several paintings commissioned during her time as queen. In fact, her collection of paintings, as well as her library, were sold following her death in order to support her four youngest surviving daughters.

Heritage Images / Getty Images

According to the Royal Collection Trust, a few items were retained and/or bought back by George, Prince of Wales, while other pieces were re-acquired, notably by Queen Mary.

21. And finally, Charlotte died in 1818, two years before George. It’s believed that at the time of her death, George did not know who she was, so he did not properly mourn her.

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What did you think of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story? Tell us in the comments below!

More on Queen Charlotte:

• The Cast Of “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” Found Out Which Characters They Really Are, And Now You Can, TooNora Dominick · May 9, 2023
• Bouncy Balls Were Used To Film Sex Scenes, One Dress Required The Actor To Wear A Back Brace, And 37 Other Exclusive Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The Filming Of “Queen Charlotte”Natasha Jokic · May 8, 2023