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It's been nearly a year since we all binged the entirety of Bridgerton's second season in a matter of days, and we've been feening for more from our favorite families of Regency-era London ever since. So, dearest readers, we have some good news for you. More Bridgerton content is on the horizon. Last spring, Netflix and Shonda Rhimes's production company, Shondaland, announced that would be a prequel series, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (out May 4), coming to the streaming platform — and its official full-length trailer is finally here.
The trailer follows a young Queen Charlotte as she navigates life in the palace shortly after being betrothed to King George against her will. While Shondaland previously released a short teaser for the upcoming series on Valentine's Day, the new three-minute trailer dives even further into what viewers can expect to see from Queen Charlotte's early days in the Ton. A few key things to look forward to? Romance, drama, and (of course) all of the steamy scenes Bridgerton fans have come to know and love.
While most of the characters in the show are completely fictional, the royal family, including Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel), King George III, and Prince Frederick of Prussia, are actually historical figures. "Many viewers had never known the story of Queen Charlotte before Bridgerton brought her to the world, and I'm thrilled this new series will further expand her story and the world of Bridgerton," Bela Bajaria, Netflix's head of global TV, said, according to Deadline.
With Bridgerton also renewed for seasons 3 and 4, there's a lot of steamy period drama and grandiose costumes for fans to look forward to. Here's everything we know so far about the upcoming prequel.
What is Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story about?
The new series — which will be written and produced by Rhimes with Betsy Beers and Tom Verica signing on as producers — will focus on the love life of a young Queen Charlotte, as well as two other familiar faces from the Ton: Lady Danbury and Violet Bridgerton.
"While the series will center on the rise and love life of a young Queen Charlotte, it will also tell the stories of young Violet Bridgerton and Lady Danbury," Netflix said in a press release.
While Lady Danbury and Violet Bridgerton are fictional characters brought to life by Julia Quinn, author of the Bridgerton series, the show will most likely cover the life of Queen Charlotte, who lived from 1744 to 1818 and married the heir to the throne (King George III) when she was just a teenager, according to Glamour. As we see in the first two seasons of Bridgerton, the king suffers from cognitive issues later down the line. How historically accurate the show will be, we don't know. Given the return of the two fictional women, it's safe to say it won't all be nonfiction.
Some fans think that the queen's mysterious disapproval of Lady Mary Sharma (mother of Kate and Edwina Sharma) in season 2 points to a bigger plot line that could potentially unfurl in the prequel.
And fans who have come to know and love Bridgerton's raunchy scenes can rest assured knowing that the prequel will still have plenty of steam. In an interview on E! News' Daily Pop, Rosheuvel said it will still have "all the passion and drama."
"You're going to see young Queen Charlotte, young Lady Danbury, young Violet [Bridgerton], young Brimsley," she confirmed. "It's gonna be in the world of Bridgerton, so you're gonna see how they got to where they are now."
On April 21, the first photos from the set made their way to the internet. JustJared published the shots, which included looks at Queen Charlotte as well as Hugh Sachs as Brimsley. Of course, the new photos are in keeping with Bridgerton's opulent M.O.
What characters will be in the prequel?
As mentioned, the story will mostly follow a young Queen Charlotte with appearances from Lady Danbury and Violet Bridgerton. Rosheuvel; Andjoa Andoh, who plays Lady Danbury; and Ruth Gemmell, Violet Bridgerton, will all be reprising their roles, though they will also have other actors portraying their younger selves. India Amarteifio will take on the young monarch withCorey Mylchreest as the king and Arsema Thomas as a young Lady Danbury.
On Sept. 23, 2022, the hit show released the first look at Amarteifio as the young queen on Twitter writing, "Dearest readers, rejoice in a formal introduction to royalty herself, India Amarteifio, who along with the incomparable duo of Golda Rosheuvel and Adjoa Andoh will reveal the origins of Your Majesty. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is on the way, indeed."
Rosheuvel confirmed her participation to E! News in March 2022. "I will be in it. We have no film date or any kind of scripts or anything at the moment," she shared at the time. "We're going to still be in the world of Bridgerton. We're not moving away from the world that we know and love Queen Charlotte to be in. I think that's really clever, because it kind of keeps us on the same track. "I think it's really going to be interesting to see where she has come from and the things that have led her to her in the Bridgerton that we know and love."
Andoh added that the women's stories overlap in the Bridgerton universe. "These relationships are long lived between Lady Danbury, Lady Bridgerton, and the queen. That's what the prequel is going to talk about. It's Shonda Rhimes writing it, so it is going to be fabulous."
How many episodes will there be?
The number of episodes is unknown, but the prequel will be a limited series.
When will Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story premiere?
Queen Charlotte will hit finally hit Netflix on Thursday, May 4.
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