Queen Charlotte Cast on Radical Fairy Tales and Bridgerton's Racial Utopia
Romance, sex, pomp, and circumstance—There’s plenty of appeal to Netflix’s Bridgerton world. Shondaland knows how to make a juicy, international hit, but Queen Charlotte might be its most audacious yet. Where Bridgerton only lightly discusses race and color, Queen Charlotte goes all in. The prequel goes back in time to when Queen Charlotte, a colored woman, married King George III of England and inadvertently changed the face (and diversity) of Britain’s upper crust forever. Of course, this is all a work of fiction based on obscure facts.
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was believed to have had Moorish/African ancestors way down the line, but her elevation of status to Queen didn’t do much for the fate of colored people in Great Britain. That’s where Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte come in to offer viewers an alternate version of history, where an interracial royal marriage cured racism forever. Clearly, this is make-believe.
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Hugh Sachs as Brimsley and Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte
At its surface, Queen Charlotte and Bridgerton are champions of representation on television. A Black queen with Black ladies in waiting married to Black aristocrats—it’s a breath of fresh air to see people of color not portrayed as slaves or subordinates in historical shows for once. But Queen Charlotte is self-aware of its fictional nature and never once tries to rewrite history, only reimagine it. It merely offers viewers the option of watching a show that doesn’t, for once, negate people of color to downtrodden roles. Outside the romance, the fantastical nature of its diversity might be its biggest appeal.
“I think this is where these conversations can be had, these conversations can be addressed. I think storytelling and portraying these difficult subjects through characters like Queen Charlotte and Lady Danbury and their relationships make the [Bridgerton] world accessible and reflect the world that we're living in today,” said Golda Rosheuvel, who plays the older version of Queen Charlotte in the new Netflix show, to Esquire Philippines.
India Amorteifio as young Queen Charlotte
The world of Bridgerton might be the only show that dares portray a racial utopia. Of course, Queen Charlotte isn’t here to change the world. It’s here to help people dream of something better. With all its pageantry, Queen Charlotte doesn’t take itself too seriously, however, it says a lot about our society that a show like Queen Charlotte feels like a radical fairytale. But are viewers ready for these sorts of stories?
“Gosh, I hope they are. What it would mean if they are not? I think for all the conversations where [people say] ‘let's not bring up history, let's not bring up the violent paths that we as humans have engaged in it,’ it is quite interesting to find the parallel. Bridgerton is this utopia that we hope we will be able to live in. And in this utopia, they don't talk about race,” said newcomer Arsema Thomas, who plays the young Lady Agatha Danbury, to Esquire Philippines.
Arsema Thomas as young Lady Agatha Danbury
“Sadly, we are not at that place now as a society, because we haven't engaged in the tough conversations that I think Queen Charlotte exposes and reveals. So yeah, I do hope that the world has been ready for this type of show. But the day that this show is not revolutionary, that this show is just like any other show. I think that's when something has truly changed.”
Queen Charlotte will premiere on May 4 exclusively on Netflix.
