Netflix miniseries Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story will take us back through the history of our favorite Regency saga when it hits our screens in May.
Set mainly in the 18th century, decades before the events of the main drama, this stand-alone six-part prequel follows the story of the young Queen Charlotte’s marriage to King George III.
It was a union that not only went down in history but triggered a societal shift that laid the foundations for the scandalous and seductive world of the Ton, which Bridgerton fans know and love.
India Amarteifio plays the 17-year-old monarch, who's loosely based on the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who reigned alongside King George III from their marriage in 1761, to her death in 1818.
But how much of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is actually true to real life? We take a look...
* Spoilers for Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story follow *
Did Queen Charlotte really marry George hours after arriving in Britain?
In the six-part series, Charlotte is married within hours of first arriving at the Royal Court in London, which is almost exactly how it happened in real life.
The real Charlotte was also 17 when her marriage to a 22-year-old King George was signed off by her brother Adolphus and on August 17, 1761, the pair set out for Britain, with a British escort party.
On August 22, they began an extremely difficult voyage to Britain, during which they encountered three storms at sea, before landing at Harwich over two weeks later on September 7.
They set out at once for London and arrived at St James's Palace at 3:30pm the next day. At 9:00 pm that same evening (September 8, 1761) within six hours of her arrival, Charlotte was united in marriage with King George III.
Did Queen Charlotte really try to escape over the garden wall?
There is no evidence that Queen Charlotte got cold feet on the day of her wedding, although when she and her party arrived at St James's Palace, they were received by the King and his family at the garden gate.
As such the first meeting between George and Charlotte was in or near a garden, as the Netflix series suggests. However, their first meeting was probably not quite as bubbly as it was in the Netflix series, as the Queen-to-be was unable to speak a word of English when she first arrived in London.
Did Queen Charlotte really have a Pomeranian?
In Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story Queen Charlotte is gifted a Pomeranian by her new husband because he doesn't want her to ever feel lonely.
However, in real life, Charlotte was thought to have already been a big fan of these little dogs before she even set foot in London. Indeed when she sailed to England to marry the king, she brought with her two Pomeranians named Phoebe and Mercury.
Her love for the breed also led her to give Pomeranians to other members of the royal family as presents and in later decades, her granddaughter Queen Victoria also became a Pomeranian-lover.
Did Queen Charlotte really use snuff?
Snuff (dry, ground tobacco) was very popular during the 18th century and by all accounts, Queen Charlotte was as keen on the stuff as everyone else at court, even apparently earning the nickname “Snuffy Charlotte”.
She is also thought to have had an entire room at Windsor Castle dedicated to her snuff collection, her favorite of which was named Violet Strasbourg, a blend mixed with bitter almonds, ambergris and attar.
Was Queen Charlotte the first owner of Buckingham Palace?
In the first episode of the Netflix series, King George presents his new wife with quite a wedding gift on the evening of their nuptials. A magnificent mansion!
Once again, this plot line has plenty of truth in it, although Buckingham House — as it was then known — didn't officially become Charlotte's until many years later.
St James's Palace was the couple's official residence — as George says in the show — but the Queen much preferred Buckingham House, a property at the western end of St James's Park, which the King had recently purchased.
More private and compact than St James's Palace and not far away, the new property stood amid rolling parkland not far from St James's Palace and in 1762 the King and Queen moved to this residence, which was originally intended as a private retreat.
However, Queen Charlotte spent so much of her time there that it came to be known as The Queen's House. Indeed, in 1775, an Act of Parliament settled the property on Queen Charlotte and most of her 15 children were born within its walls. Of course, Buckingham House is now called Buckingham Palace.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is now available to stream on Netflix.
