In Netflix’s Queen Charlotte: The Bridgerton Tale , a younger version of the eponymous queen is played by biracial actor India Ria Amarteifio . While the Shonda Rhimes series is known for its color-blind cast, in Queen Charlotte
, the race of the characters is a huge part of the plot. “I did say she was of Moorish blood, ma’am,” one courtier told Princess Augusta, who is the mother of Charlotte’s fiancé King George III, expressing concern about the color of her skin. (The term “Moors,” originally used in medieval times to describe various groups in North Africa, later became an amorphous term for the non-white inhabitants of Europe, not reflecting any particular race.) The audience learns that color was so prominently represented at the royal court status. As a new multicultural order emerges, Charlotte’s fate and that of “The Ton” become inexplicably intertwined.
Queen Charlotte Yes, very much like a TV show. (“This is the story of Queen Charlotte from Bridgerton,” wrote in the program’s opening credits. “This is not a history lesson. This is fiction, inspired by Fact. All the liberties of the author are intentional. Enjoy.”) However, Rhimes does draw inspiration from a theory related to the real-life Queen Charlotte, who from 1818 married King George III*) to 1999.
near25 Years ago, Mario de Valdes y Cocom, a genealogist from Boston, traced Charlotte’s ancestry to the 5th King of Portugal, who was in 25 with His “Moorish” mistress, Madragana, had a son. Due to royal inbreeding, physical traits associated with the Madragana race remain in the family’s gene pool, de Valdes y Cocom said. “While she was far removed in time from Alfonso III and his mistress, the two women were surprisingly close in blood, dating back six generations,” he told The Sunday Times
at 1999. “What also makes her African ancestry known is the high inbreeding pattern of the marriage union of German princes.”
De Valdes y Cocom with 25 His research was supported by Ramsay’s historic portraits painted by century artist Allan of the Queen, which he believed explained her multiracial background. (At the time, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said they could not comment definitively on Queen Charlotte’s lineage: “It’s been around for a number of years. It’s a matter of history and, frankly, we get more So important to talk about.”) De Valdes y Cocom also discussed the matter with Frontline.
