How Did I Miss That?
Welcome to Episode 15,
Dearest Gentle Listener
I’m Lisa Blank and this is How Did I Miss That?
If y’all aren’t watching Bridgerton on Netflix, what are you doing with your lives?! It’s soooooooooo good!! A utopian society where seemingly everyone is an aristocrat and race matters not. Perfection! The fashion is incredible. And I’m a sucker for a good British historical romance, no matter how inaccurate. It’s not perfect from a literary perspective and it certainly is an anachronism, but it makes for some darn good binge watching. Little did I know after loving the first season, that some parts of Bridgerton may be based in more truthful history that I would have thought. So, as I am prone to do, I hit the interwebs and feasted my eyes upon some vast knowledge that was previously hidden from my understanding. What we have here in this diatribe are all the tidbits of good realization that leapt from the chronicles of the recorded past. Just kidding…I promise not to speak Bridgerton throughout the entire episode. But here’s what I found out…
What I did know was that King George actually existed. Of course I did…I studied US History. King George III was the monarch we Americans revolted against and declared our independence from on July 4, 1776. What I didn’t know was that his wife was named Charlotte and had African ancestry…just like in Bridgerton! The actual extent or origin of her African heritage is still debated and some call it “utter rubbish”, but I’m going with it. Her family tree has been traced back to Margarita de Castro e Sousa who was a Portuguese noblewoman believed to be of African descent. Though with so many generations of dilution, the real-life Queen Charlotte did not look anything similar to the TV character, but the actress is phenomenal and does a great job in the role.
The time of King George III’s rule is referred to as the Regency Era, which was marked with refinement and culture, elegance and etiquette. Though all of this finery was reserved for the wealthy few. The rest of the population lived in severe poverty brought on by the Napoleonic Wars, a mass population boom, and economic collapse among other factors. The time span for the Regency Era is between 1795 and 1837, though the regency it was named for was set in place only from 1811 to 1820. In the 1780s, the king’s mental health was deteriorating fast. So much so, that Parliament moved to pass the Regency Act in 1789. But before it could be enacted, the king recovered, and he continued to rule effectively until 1804 when his illness returned. His final relapse due to mental illness happened in 1810 and led to the Regency Act of 1811 naming his eldest son, George, Prince of Wales, as the appointed regent.
King George III ascended to the throne on October 25, 1760, and married Princess Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg -Strelitz almost a year later on September 8, 1761. While Charlotte was not his first choice, the two had a seemingly happy marriage from which George did not stray. Their union resulted in 15 children, nine sons and six daughters. One of those 9 sons was Prince Edward, the father of Queen Victoria. In 1762, the king purchased Buckingham House, where Buckingham Palace now stands, for his wife with the intent that it be used as a family retreat. What a gift!
Princess Charlotte was born in northern Germany on May 19, 1744, but her upbringing was anything but royal. She had a rudimentary education that revolved around household management and religion, a definite sign of the times. Apparently, this was a great selling point when she was presented as a potential wife of King George. She had no interest in politics and was more than happy not to meddle in the country’s affairs, at least in the beginning. As she grew into her role and title, Queen Charlotte began discreetly trying to influence the king and later was suspected of trying to have the king declared mentally insane so that she could take over as regent. If true, her efforts were in vain. The regency was given to her son, and this was said to have driven a wedge between them for several years.
To escape the worry and stress of her husband’s illness, she leaned on her love of music and botany. She took a special interest in the gardens at Kew Palace which was the summer home for the family. Queen Charlotte even introduced Britian to the Christmas tree which originated in her home country of Germany. She was also a friend and pen pal of Marie Antoinette, so much so that she made ready apartments for the French royal family to use should they have escaped to Britian.
Queen Charlotte died in 1818 of pneumonia while surrounded by 3 of her children. She died sitting up in a black armchair that still exists and is on display in Queen Charlotte’s Bedroom in Kew Palace. Her husband, the king, was confined to Windsor Palace at this time. His illness had completely taken over and he most likely didn’t even realize his wife and queen of 57 years had died. At the time of her death, she was and continues to be the longest serving queen consort in British history.
King George III died two years later in 1820, also of pneumonia, in Windsor Castle. He was at that point the longest lived and reigning monarch to the British throne and still holds the title among British male monarchs. He was succeeded by his regent and eldest son, George IV.
While England has its own current namesake in precious little Princess Charlotte (she’s so cute!), we have one here in the US, too. The city of Charlotte, North Carolina was named for Queen Charlotte and is referred to as the Queen City. It was chartered in 1768 to honor the King. The city is located in Mecklenburg County and if you remember, Queen Charlotte was born in Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Mind blown!
While Bridgerton might not have gotten all the details right, the general life and times of King George III and Queen Charlotte are relatively accurate. And for me accuracy is not always the most important factor in what makes good television. It’s ok to cherry pick for the sake of entertainment. We all have moments in our lives that seem like were just slogging through. It’s ok to want a fantastical escape from reality that involves dressing up in our finery, attending a royal ball, and kissing the viscount everyone is eyeing that season.
Thanks for listening! I’m headed out on our family summer vacation and will be off the airwaves for a couple of weeks. I know you’re going to miss me. I fully intended to have enough episodes posted to make it like I was never gone from your podcast feed, but in true form…that just didn’t happen. I’ll be back with a brand-new episode on Tuesday, July 23rd. As always, if you like what you’re hearing, please make sure to share this podcast with all your friends and neighbors. And don’t forget to click follow or subscribe. Then join me every Tuesday and Friday as I uncover another interesting tidbit of knowledge and wonder… how did I miss that?!
