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Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, the prequel to the Bridgerton series, is set to debut this spring. The series will focus on a young Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio), who arrives in England without power. Throughout the limited series, fans will watch her become the commanding queen they know and love.

In addition to the queen, some other familiar characters will be very different than their Bridgerton counterparts.

Cyril Nri as Lord Danbury, and Arsema Thomas as Young Agatha Danbury sitting in a cathedral in 'Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton'
Cyril Nri as Lord Danbury, and Arsema Thomas as Young Agatha Danbury in ‘Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton’ | Liam Daniel/Netflix

The ‘Queen Charlotte’ trailer reveals what’s to come

Netflix recently dropped the teaser trailer for Queen Charlotte. The series will debut on May 4, but the new visuals give some insight into what’s coming. Fans can see a reluctant young Queen Charlotte arriving in England for her marriage to King George (Corey Mylchrees).

Though naysayers surround her, she does find some people, including Lady Danbury (Arsema Thomas), in her corner. The official logline reads,

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 characters in ‘Queen Charlotte’ are different from their ‘Bridgerton’ counterparts

Fans already know the adult versions of Lady Danbury, Lady Violet Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte. However, the younger versions of these characters will be very different from the wiser women seen in Bridgerton.

Amarteifo told RadioTimes.com, “I think what’s really nice about Queen Charlotte is that there’s so much time for our show…as actors, it’s great because it gives us the liberty of creating our own characters.” She added,

You guys obviously know Queen Charlotte, King George and we know Lady Danbury, but you don’t know their origin story. There’s enough time for them to be completely different people and for us to create completely unique characters, and then, in time, as is natural in real life, you change; we adapt as we get older. Just to understand how she becomes so brazen, so strong and such a force. I’m super excited for people to see it.

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‘Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’: Teaser Reveals Sexual Tension, the Tragic Story of a Future Queen, and Release Date

‘Queen Charlotte’ isn’t all about romance

While Queen Charlotte’s arranged marriage to King George is a major plot in the forthcoming prequel series, it’s not the center of the series; coming to England from elsewhere, it is about what it means to claim power for yourself.

More than that, Charlotte will arrive in a very different England than the one seen in Bridgerton. Though there were hints about the lack of integration and diversity before her time, viewers will finally see the divide in society by race.

During the Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story zoom event Shonda Rhimes spoke about the main themes of the limited series. She explained that her main goal was to share the struggles of young women and the romantic stories within the universe.