The Full "Queen Charlotte" Trailer Just Dropped, and It's as Steamy and Dramatic as We Hoped

Have you heard the talk from the Ton? Well it’s just flawless, my dear, and it’s certainly no gossip from the social pamphlets of Lady Whistledown. In May 2021, Bridgerton showrunner Shonda Rhimes announced that Netflix and her production company Shondaland will be debuting a new limited prequel series based on the early life of Queen Charlotte, titled Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. The spinoff is confirmed to be “all about Queen Charlotte’s origin story, including her marriage to King George and the great love story — and societal shift — that follows,” according to Netflix’s companion site, Tudum.

We’ve seen glimpses of Queen Charlotte’s life in the first two seasons of Bridgerton, including the state of her marriage with King George and her role in Regency-era London’s social season. But this series dives further, exploring her sudden ascension to the throne in the early 1760s. “When you meet Queen Charlotte inside the ‘Bridgerton’ universe, you can’t help but want to know more about that character and her background. So it felt like a natural exploration to go into her background,” one Netflix exec told Variety. “It truly is stunning,” they add, saying, “it is going to live up to your expectations.”

Hello, did we mention that Lady Danbury and Lady Violet Bridgerton will be featured too? There’s seriously so much to look forward to. So dear gentle reader, scroll on for everything we know about Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story so far.

Is there a trailer for Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story?

Yes! Members of the Ton — we have something you need to see. Netflix dropped a short trailer on Valentine's Day 2023 — it begins with young Queen Charlotte dropping into a deep curtsy after realizing that the person to whom she'd been complaining about her arranged marriage was, in fact, the man she wants to marry. He gently grabs her hand to stop her, and says, "Hello, Charlotte. I am George." That first hand touch — swooooooon.

Then, on March 23rd, Netflix released a full-length trailer. Throughout the beginning of the trailer, young Charlotte frets about her marriage to the King of England, though she's gently reminded that there are "worse fates a person can have." She asks, "Is he ugly? Perhaps deformed?" to no avail until she fatefully runs into him in the garden. Despite their arranged marriage, the two begin to fall in love.

The rest of the video includes clips of George's mother arguing, "Your marriage is cannot go wrong," as well as young Lady Danbury introducing herself for the first time. And it wouldn't be a Bridgerton spin-off without some ~steaminess~, so we're treated to sneak peeks of Charlotte and George getting hot and heavy presumably later on in the season. We're counting down the days until May 4th!

Previously, on September 23, 2022, the official Bridgerton Instagram account shared a photo of India Amarteifio as Queen Charlotte and revealed the official name of the series. The post also reassured fans that the spin-off is coming soon.

“Dearest readers, rejoice in a formal introduction to royalty herself, India Amarteifo, 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,” the caption read.

In the meantime, here is what else we know so far about the series and the cast.

Are there photos from the Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story series?

Yes! Apart from the teaser trailer, Netflix has dropped a few first-look photos from the new series. The snapshots give us a glimpse at the younger counterparts of some of our fave Bridgerton characters, including Queen Charlotte.

A second still depicts young Lady Agatha Danbury, portrayed by actress Arsema Thomas. “With keen knowledge of the once divided social scene and the intricacies of marriage, Agatha becomes a guiding light for the new Queen, all while finding her own voice and power,” the character’s description reads, per The Hollywood Reporter.

On February 7, 2023, Netflix dropped another look at King George, played by actor Corey Mylchreest. “A young man most fit for the throne. Introducing @coreymylchreest as King George in #QueenCharlotte: A Bridgerton Story,” the caption reads on Instagram. The young king appears to be in the middle of a conversation — and we imagine he’s saying something along the lines of, Netflix, it’s high time you announce the release date for this series (!!).

In April 2022, Daily Mail published a number of paparazzi photos from the set, where Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte is seen in the back of a horse-drawn carriage, wearing all black and donning a gray wig. Brimsley, played by Hugh Sachs, was also present, walking in a procession with royal troops. Based on the formality and solemnity of the scene — extras bowed to Queen Charlotte’s carriage as it passed — the outlet speculated that the series was filming a funeral scene. Check out the photos here.

Who will star in the Queen Charlotte spin-off series?

On March 30, 2022, Netflix announced the series’ cast. India Amarteifio, who appeared as Lizzie in Sex Education, plays the young Queen Charlotte “who learns to navigate palace life after finding herself betrothed to the King of England against her will,” per Tudum. Corey Mylchreest stars opposite India as the young King George, who is described as “handsome, charismatic, and a bit of a mystery.”

Deadline reported that Connie Jenkins-Greig will star as young Violet Ledger, the daughter of Vivian and Lord Ledger, a “kind and inquisitive teenager who has not yet entered the marriage mart… or famously become a Bridgerton.” She will be a recurring character in the spin-off series, according to the outlet.

Other cast members include Michelle Fairley, who starred as Catelyn Stark in HBO’s Game of Thrones. She portrays Princess Augusta, “a royal determined to do whatever it takes to maintain her family’s power.” Sounds like drama!

Arsema Thomas plays the young Lady Danbury who, similar to her role in the original series, is a loyal confidante to the queen.

And you didn’t think Shonda would forget Brimsley, did you? Sam Clemmett stars as the young version of the queen’s right hand man. Other cast members include Richard Cunningham as Lord Bute, Tunji Kasim as Adolphus, Rob Maloney as the Royal Doctor, and Cyril Nri as Lord Danbury.

What has the cast said about the show?

According to Golda, there was on-set overlap between herself and India (young Charlotte) on filming days. "Sometimes [the younger characters] would be in in the morning and we’d be in in the afternoon. India and I would kind of high-five in the corridor and pass the baton in George and Charlotte's relationship," she explained to Digital Spy. "To have the air of the younger characters there on set as myself and James [Fleet] were coming in was really interesting and really beautiful to absorb and take that on."

And as for whether this spin-off will be as sexy as Bridgerton always is, India joked that how many children Queen Charlotte had was indicative of how steamy her character gets with young King George. "They go on to have 15 children, so that is how that kind of works," she said. "Well, I think 13 of them [survive] to adulthood. So expect to see romance in all forms, is where I’ll leave it."

Corey Mylchreest, who plays young King George, noted that "all of those [intimate] scenes are incredible in the same way that the dance scenes are incredible." He continued, "They all mean something, they’re all very in tune with progressing the story and so none of them are gratuitous."

Are any cast members from Bridgerton in this prequel?

Yes! Golda Rosheuvel will return as the iconic Queen Charlotte, and Adjoa Andoh will reprise her role as the headstrong Lady Danbury. According to Tudum, the project also features Ruth Gemmell, who plays Bridgerton matriarch Lady Violet in the original series. And of course, Hugh Sachs returns as Brimsley.

What do we know about filming?

Bridgerton director and producer Tom Verica confirmed via Twitter on August 30, 2022 that the Queen Charlotte spinoff has officially wrapped filming season 1!

“That’s a wrap. This production, this cast, this crew…just wait,” he wrote. Screen Rant notes that post-production for Netflix shows can take months to a year depending on how VFX-heavy the show is, so here’s hoping a release date is announced soon!

Netflix originally confirmed on March 30, 2022 that the prequel was officially underway. Photos published on Tudum featured a cast table read, where India Amarteifio (young Queen Charlotte), Corey Mylchreest (young King George), and others get into character.

The Shondaland Instagram and Twitter accounts also posted photos from the table read, including one of the script cover. The shot reveals that the project remains unnamed but episode one is titled, “Queen to Be.” How apropos.

How many episodes will there be?

Similar to the first two seasons of Bridgerton, the limited spinoff series will consist of eight episodes, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

When will the series be released?

According to the official trailer, the series will be released on May 4th, 2023.

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