Queen Charlotte's 'Power Play' in Harper's Bazaar UK June 2023 by Luc Braquet AOC Fashion

The brand new Netflix show “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” is inspired by actor Golda Rosheuvel’s role as “Bridgerton’s” feisty Queen Charlotte. Now, a younger India Amarteifio stars as the younger face of the monarch in the new spin-off series prequel.

Miranda Almond styles the two actors in ‘Power Play’, lensed by Luc Braquet [IG] for Harper’s Bazaar UK’s [IG] June 2023 issue./ Hair by Dionne Smith & Nicola Harrowell; makeup by Kenneth Soh & Claire de Graft

Obviously, the Queen Charlotte of Shondaland fame is not a real person. But her lineage — which suggests Black heritage — continues to be debated, even by historians. Charlotte’s story is important because it raises questions about representation, empire, and wealth.

Even Shonda Rhimes and actor Golda Rosheuvel stress that the purpose of putting Queen Charlotte front and center in the new Netflix spinoff is to inspire, even jumpstart new research around her ancestry.

"Our Queen Charlotte is based on and inspired by a real person, but is a fictional construct. We have made a beautiful, fantastical show with the hope that it makes people stop and wonder, 'Actually, who was this remarkable woman?' and go to find out more," she says. "Because she deserves it. She was part of the abolitionist movement; she knew Mozart; was a great patron of the arts."

Advancing the Queen Charlotte Black Queen Argument

Some historians believe that Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz had African ancestry. One such historian, Mario de Valdes y Cocom, argued in a 2009 issue of PBS “Frontline” that her features were conspicuously African.

Valdes suggests that Scottish portraitist Allan Ramsay may have emphasized these characteristics for political reasons since he was an anti-slavery activist. He notes that many portraits and caricatures of the Queen show her with darker skin and hair. Queen Charlotte’s physician Baron Stockmar described her as having a true mulatto face.

The House of Windsor has never denied Queen Charlotte’s claimed African ancestry. David Buck, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson, was quoted by the Boston Globe as saying “This has been rumored for years and years. It is a matter of history, and frankly, we’ve got far more important things to talk about.”