Fans shocked as Bridgerton spin-off Queen Charlotte tackles royal racism row in key scene
Queen Charlotte, the new Bridgerton spin-off, landed on Netflix last night and it makes a clear reference to the royal baby racism allegations from within the royal family.
In 2021, Meghan claimed that there was concern among some members of the royal family about the skin colour of her baby with Harry. And now, Shonda Rhimes’ spin-off has referenced the controversy directly in a scene from the new six-part show.
In one throwback scene the Queen Mother is noted for saying new baby Queen Charlotte is “very brown,” before an adviser says: “I did say she had Moor blood, ma’am.”
“You did not say she would be that brown,” replied the Queen Mother, before the reply: “But I did say she had Moor blood.”
The Queen Mother then replies: “Very brown.”
“This scene has me deceased,” writes one fan, while another said: “Shonda does nothing by accident.”
“Shonda is everything,” wrote another. “She had me shooketh with that Meghan/Archie shade. Can’t wait to see what else she has in store for us!”
“The racism of the British royal family is now history!” wrote another fan. Another said: “Shonda Rhimes just brought the heat with that scene!”
Speaking to The Guardian, Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte creator Rhimes said: “I didn’t think about Meghan Markle when I was writing this. That didn’t enter into the equation for me. I’m not necessarily interested in whatever is going on [with the royal family] now.”
Rhimes told Business Insider she can’t understand how people find it hard to write and cast for TV with diversity in mind. “What’s interesting is that I hear all the time, ‘Oh, it’s so hard to find diversity’ — which is a word I can’t stand,”‘ she said.
“They say it’s hard to make it happen because no one can ever find anyone. It’s like saying I can’t find a model of color, which I find insane. There are plenty of beautiful women everywhere. There are plenty of writers everywhere with voices. It’s almost like there’s camouflage and they are not looking at them.”
Queen Charlotte is an origin story set before the other seasons of Bridgerton and focuses on the birth of Queen Charlotte, who is later played by Bridgerton regular Adjoa Andoh.
Early reviews have been positive, with many critics saying origin stories are often worse than the original show but that Queen Charlotte is an exception. Many see a future life in other spin-off series for Bridgerton. The Telegraph called it “unexpectedly emotional” while The Guardian called it a “ravishing, romp-packed sequel.”
The six episodes are available for streaming now on Netflix.
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