Queen Charlotte covers the early years of the royal couple's marriage, but there's more. We break down what happens next for the king & queen.
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story follows the early days of Queen Charlotte and King George III’s relationship, but what happens next for the royal couple? Created by Shonda Rhimes, Queen Charlotte is a few decades removed from Bridgerton’s early 19th century setting. The prequel series distinguishes its two time periods as it focuses on a post-season 2 Bridgerton world that sees Queen Charlotte fed up with her children’s inability to provide her with an heir, and the first year of her marriage to King George III.
Queen Charlotte is now streaming on Netflix and has garnered a mostly positive critical reception. Queen Charlotte ends with the title character and King George in a good place, having overcome the initial tension present in the early stages of their relationship. Queen Charlotte is also pregnant with the couple’s second child, and Lady Danbury, who decided she never wanted to be married again, secured her family’s title and their financial future. With Queen Charlotte and King George being inspired by the real 18th century couple, what happens to them in the aftermath of the prequel series and after Bridgerton?
Queen Charlotte & King George Had A Happy Marriage Before His Illness Became Permanent
Queen Charlotte and King George III were married for 57 years, and the couple had a happy marriage for the majority of their union. Unlike his sons, however, King George III never took a mistress during the years of his marriage. He and Queen Charlotte welcomed 15 children into the world over the course of 21 years, and Charlotte was George’s guardian up until her death. When the couple was apart — though King George never strayed too far from southern England — Queen Charlotte would write to her husband, signing her letters (via Royal Collection Trust), “Your very affectionnate Friend and Wife Charlotte.” The pair were very loyal to each other.
There Are Further Tensions Between Queen Charlotte & Princess Augusta
The dowager Princess Augusta, King George III’s mother, was very controlling in the first several years of Queen Charlotte’s marriage. Princess Augusta restricted Queen Charlotte from having much social contact at first, though the Queen would go on to have debutante balls hosted in her honor, and hired most of Queen Charlotte’s staff in a bid to keep tabs on her. Princess Augusta wanted to keep up appearances and implored strict social royal court behavior. Princess Augusta also kept Queen Charlotte in the dark about King George’s mental health and the Regency Bill, which would make the Queen Regent should King George III be unable to rule (via Percy Fitzgerald’s book The Good Queen Charlotte).
King George & Queen Charlotte Oppose Their Daughters Marrying Young
Queen Charlotte establishes that all but one of King George and Queen Charlotte’s daughters are married, despite being past what was considered their prime in the early 19th century. That’s because the couple restricted their daughters from marrying young, and were generally opposed to them marrying at all. King George III rejected many marriage proposals on behalf of his daughters, and even signed the Royal Marriage Act of 1772 (via The Guardian), which stipulated that none of his children could marry anyone without his permission before the age of 25. Charlotte, the Princess Royal, the couple’s fourth child, didn’t marry until she was 31 years old, while Elizabeth, the seventh child, married aged 48.
Queen Charlotte Indirectly Influenced Political Affairs (Despite Being Told Not To)
Upon marrying King George III, Queen Charlotte was told not to meddle in any political affairs. And she herself had no real interest in British politics, refraining from getting involved for the most part. However, that didn’t mean that Queen Charlotte stayed out of everything. In fact, she indirectly influenced certain decisions. Since she and King George were close, Queen Charlotte occasionally made recommendations, and it is believed that her suggestions led King George to get involved in a German conflict between Joseph II and Charles Theodore, elector of Bavaria in 1785.
King George III Had A Longer Mental Health Episode In 1788
King George III’s first mental health episode occurred in 1765, but it was short, and he was able to resume his duties. During the summer of 1788, however, King George’s mental health deteriorated and he remained out of commission until at least the spring of 1789. When this happened, it scared Queen Charlotte. King George was moved to Kew, but Queen Charlotte would sleep and eat alone in a separate room until he recovered. What’s more, King George’s doctor wouldn’t consult Queen Charlotte about his condition. During this time, tension mounted between Queen Charlotte and their eldest son, George IV, as they both suspected each other of being declared Regent in King George’s absence.
King George III Was Thought To Have Been Cured By Dr. Francis Willis
Queen Charlotte showcases the methods used in an attempt to cure King George III. While the series moves up the timeline of his mental health issues and the strain that arises regarding his rule, it wasn’t until 1788 that Dr. Francis Willis began treating King George, with many of the same methods seen on the show. This was during the King’s longest bout of mental illness. By the winter of 1789, Dr. Willis had declared King George cured, though it was far from the truth.
George IV Became Regent In King George’s Place In 1811
Over a decade after Dr. Willis’ encouraging assessment of King George III’s mental health, his symptoms returned again in 1801, and then again in 1810. This time, however, King George’s mental health had deteriorated enough that there was no bouncing back. Unable to attend to his responsibilities as monarch, George IV, Prince of Wales, became Prince Regent, ruling in his father’s place for the remainder of his life, officially becoming king in 1820. It’s probably one of the reasons Queen Charlotte and King George’s eldest son isn’t around during Bridgerton's timeline.
Queen Charlotte & King George Lost 2 Of Their 15 Children
While Queen Charlotte gave birth to 15 children, only 13 of them survived to adulthood. Prince Octavius, the couple’s 13th child, died at the age of four after having a reaction to being inoculated against smallpox. Prince Alfred, Queen Charlotte and King George III’s 14th child, died one month shy of his second birthday. The loss of both princes, within a six-month time period, left their parents deeply saddened. And while Princess Amelia, their last child and daughter, lived into adulthood, she passed away at the age of 27.
Queen Charlotte Died In November 1818
By the end of Queen Charlotte, the title character and her husband have decades ahead of them. However, Queen Charlotte has, but a few years left of her life by the end of Bridgerton season 2, which is set in 1814. Queen Charlotte was 74 years old when she passed, and though she constantly asked whether her husband had died in the Netflix series, King George survived her, and it remains doubtful that he realized his wife had died.
King George III Died In January 1820
During the last decade of his life, King George III was in the throes of his physical and mental illnesses, and he spent his final years holed up in Windsor Castle. By late 1819, King George had lost most of his hearing and was blind. He died in January 1820, a little over a year after Queen Charlotte’s death, at the age of 81 after contracting pneumonia.
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