You might expect a queen to build a wall; but climb over one? Perhaps not. Yet that’s exactly how we find future Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifo) in a first look clip at Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, which was just unveiled at Netflix’s TUDUM festival.
The Bridgerton prequel hasn’t exactly been shrouded in secrecy, but still, it’s exciting to see the first footage from the spinoff, which jumps back a few decades to show the Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuval) we all know from Bridgerton and how she rose to power.
In the clip, the focus is on Charlotte trying trying to see the King, who she is convinced is a monster — otherwise, why would they be hiding him from her? As she quips and parries with the young man watching her try to scale the wall, it becomes painfully obvious to us exactly who he is… And then to Charlotte, when he reveals he is none other than Young King George (Corey Mylchreest).
Beyond Bridgerton, the whole thing gives off a bit of the vibes from Hulu’s The Great, though perhaps not quite so abusive or nihilistic. However, it also sets up a classic meet cute in mistaken identities, and misplaced expectations. Here’s Netflix’s official logline for the series:
Centered on Queen Charlotte’s rise to prominence and power, this Bridgerton-verse prequel tells the story of how the young Queen’s marriage to King George sparked both a great love story and a societal shift, creating the world of the Ton inherited by the characters in Bridgerton.
The series comes from showrunner/executive producer and writer Shonda Rhimes herself, as well as director and executive producer Tom Verica, and EP Betsy Beers. Also in the cast are Adjoa Andoh (Lady Agatha Danbury) and Ruth Gemmell (Lady Violet Bridgerton), reprising their roles from Bridgerton. Michelle Fairley also stars as Princess Augusta, Arsema Thomas as Young Agatha Dabury, Sam Clemmett as Young Brimsley, Richard Cunningham as Lord Bute, Tunji Kasim as Adolphus, Rob Maloney as Royal Doctor, Cyril Nri as Lord Danbury, and Hugh Sachs as the older Brimsley.
No premiere date has been announced yet, but you can watch the clip above as many times as you want so you don’t start scaling the walls.
