Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Queen Charlotte: A Bridgeton Story’ views the story of the real-life Queen Charlotte from a fictionalized lens. Set in the ‘Bridgerton’ universe, the story expands upon the origins of the queen, her marriage to King George III, and her impact on the social and cultural scene of the country. We see her evolve from a young teenage girl who barely knows the country she’ll spend the rest of her life to a woman who dedicates herself to the betterment of her subjects and earns their love and respect.
Because ‘Queen Charlotte’ serves as a prequel to ‘Bridgerton,’ there are some clear connections between the two shows. This might make you wonder if Queen Charlotte is related to or has some connection to Simon Basset, the lead character in ‘Bridgerton’ Season 1. Here’s what you should know about them. SPOILERS AHEAD
Simon Basset is Not Related to Queen Charlotte
No, Simon Basset is not related to Queen Charlotte. As depicted in ‘Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story,’ Charlotte was born and raised in Germany, which she left at the age of seventeen to marry King George III. The king’s mother hid George’s mental illness from his wife for a while, and it was also one of the reasons why they went as far as Germany to seek out the next Queen of England.
The decision to allow the King to marry a black woman is seen with disdain by some people because it hasn’t ever happened before. The society is still divided, even though there are black families who are richer than most and descend from the royal bloodline of other countries. When Charlotte is brought to England, George’s mother, Augusta, realizes that this difference will be felt in the court and society and will have to be mitigated to make the new Queen feel at home.
To make the place feel more assimilated and socially diverse, people of color are invited to the royal wedding. This is the first time that the doors of royalty are opened to POC, and Augusta knows it is not enough to have them at the wedding. She knows that Charlotte will need a group of diverse women as her ladies-in-waiting, and they cannot be women without titles. For this, black families, such as the Danburys, are showered with titles.
Despite becoming Lord and Lady, Agatha Danbury knows the fight for equality has not ended. She repeatedly makes Charlotte realize the importance of her position and how she could be the change her people needed all this time. When Lord Danbury dies, the question of inheritance is posed as while bequeathing the title to them, it wasn’t mentioned whether his children would inherit it or if it ends with his death.
Lady Danbury knows that whatever happens to her will set a precedent for the rest of the black families who have recently received this social standing. She fights for it in her own right, bartering with the King’s mother to push the agenda in parliament in exchange for telling her everything that goes on in Buckingham Place with Charlotte and George. Eventually, however, she discovers she’d been going about it all wrong.
By the end of the season, Queen Charlotte owns her position as the queen and starts taking control of things. When she discovers what Lady Danbury had been trying to do, she makes sure that the question of inheritance is resolved, which means that with Lord Danbury’s death, his son would inherit the title and everything that came with it. Over the years, the King and the Queen bestow titles on more people of color, revolutionizing the social picture of their country. The Basset family was one of the people who won their favor.
Simon Basset’s father received the title of the Duke of Hastings from the Queen. By this time, the laws regarding inheritance had already been laid down, which meant that once he died, his son, Simon became the Duke of Hastings. It wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for Queen Charlotte, which does form a connection between the two. However, this is as far as they are related. They do not fall under or around the same bloodline and don’t share any relatives.
Read More: Did the Bridgerton Family Really Exist?
