Exploring race, class and gender in the Bridgerton world: an intersectional analysis of Queen Charlotte

Abstract

[eng] Based on Julia Quinn’s novels, the Bridgerton series, launched in 2020 by Netflix, depicts a racially-diverse Regency era. The 2023 spin-off of the series, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, explores the life of Queen Charlotte, a fictional character based on the real figure of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the wife of King George III. This project examines how this TV series offers a distinctive treatment of racial issues when compared to the previous Bridgerton series. I analyse how these racial issues intersect in the exploration of the personalities of two of its characters, Queen Charlotte and Lady Danbury. Furthermore, I examine how these Black women address and confront the intersecting inequalities of race, class and gender in their society. I argue that the utopian diverse society established in Bridgerton that forgets to address the racial implications of its context are clarified by exploring race as a central topic in its spin-off Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.