The real story of 'Bridgerton' Queen Charlotte, dubbed 'Britain's first Black queen'

Bridgerton has become one of the most popular Netflix originals since it dropped on the streaming giant last Christmas. One of the key characters in the show is Queen Charlotte, who is inspired by a real-life Queen.

Queen Charlotte was born as Sophia Charlotte in Mirow, Germany, on May 19, 1744. She was the youngest daughter of Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg, styled as the Prince of Mirow, and Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The family ruled over Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a small north-German duchy located within what was part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time, reports Royal Central.

When Charlotte was 17, she was sent to England to wed King George III, whom she had never met before. The king had recently ascended the throne at the age of 22 following the death of his grandfather, King George II. According to biographer Flora Fraser, the young princess had a "very mediocre education," spoke no English, and lacked any interest in politics, which appealed to the King.

The couple wed at the Chapel Royal at St. James's Palace on September 8, 1761, just six hours after the princess arrived in the country. The wedding celebrations lasted for three days, following which the King reportedly warned her to "not meddle" in affairs of state.

After becoming the Queen, Charlotte quickly got on to complete her responsibility of providing an heir to the throne. A son was born on August 12, 1762, less than 12 months into their marriage. The royal tot took the title of George, Prince of Wales, and later became King George IV. The queen gave birth to as many as 15 children in her life, but only 13 survived.

Even though her husband had specifically warned her to not get involved in politics, she did take an interest in governance and subtly influenced him. On the personal front, the royal couple was believed to be a doting couple who spent the first 25 years of their marriage "happily," as claimed by Historic Royal Palaces. However, the Queen's influence became more prominent in the later years as her husband's mental health slowly declined.

27 years into their marriage, King George experienced a months-long depressive episode, which was only the first of four episodes across the next three decades which earned him the nickname "The Mad King." The couple's eldest son, the Prince of Wales, was appointed regent while Charlotte acted as his guardian.

In the Netflix show, the Queen presides over the social scene in Bridgerton and judges the young ladies making their debuts on London's marriage market. There are also scenes that show her dealing with her husband's mental health as it stabilises and declines.

The series also has a reference to Mozart, who accompanied Charlotte while she sang since he was just eight. The musician would go on to dedicate his Opus 3 and six sonatas to her. The Queen and her husband both loved music, and founded The Royal Academy of the Arts, which continues to be highly regarded even today.

Charlotte died in 1818 at the age of 74, after spending over 57 years as the Queen Consort of England. Her husband passed less than a year later, but is believed to have been so catatonic at the time of her death that he was unaware of her passing.

Charlotte is portrayed in the series by actress Golda Rosheuvel, which has reignited a discussion about whether the royal had mixed racial heritage and was Britain's first black queen. The same has been suggested by many historians over the past several decades.

It is also said that it was Charlotte's heritage that inspired the makers of Bridgerton to include her in the regency drama, even though she doesn't appear in Julia Quinn's bestselling series of books on which the show is based on. However, showrunner Chris Van Dusen clarified to the New York Times: "It made me wonder what that could have looked like. Could she have used her power to elevate other people of colour in society? Could she have given them titles and lands and dukedoms?" The most eligible bachelor in "Bridgerton" is shown to be black.