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Bridgerton Cast Next to Young Queen Charlotte Counterparts

See "Queen Charlotte" Characters Side-by-Side With Their "Bridgerton" Counterparts

May 4 2023

After two seasons of "Bridgerton" set in the Regency era, the "Queen Charlotte" prequel takes us back a few decades to the early days of Charlotte's time as queen. This new timeline means that we're getting to see younger versions of some key "Bridgerton" characters, including the King and Queen, Lady Danbury, and Violet Bridgerton, and to see how their stories began long before they became the grand figures of the current era. And, if you're worried about missing your original faves, don't worry — the older versions of the characters make appearances too, in a "present-day" storyline that ties in with the flashbacks.

"Bridgerton" largely has cast semi-unknown working actors as its main characters, turning them into international stars. "Queen Charlotte" is following suit, similarly introducing us to a new group of future favourites as the younger versions of our beloved characters, along with a handful of characters we've heard of but never actually seen on screen. Of course, not every "Bridgerton" character of a certain generation has a younger counterpart in "Queen Charlotte," since the prequel mostly focuses on the King and Queen and the people around them at court. Let's take a look at the past and present versions of some of your favourite characters — and give a round of applause to the casting directors who chose them!

Image Source: Everett Collection

India Amarteifio as Young Queen Charlotte

Amarteifio takes on the role of the young Queen Charlotte, who starts out as a German princess betrothed (rather unwillingly) to the new British king, George. When she arrives at court, her skin colour is a surprise to everyone, including her new mother-in-law, who decides to pull the 1700s version of a PR stunt by transforming society with the "Great Experiment" of elevating wealthy families of colour to the nobility. Although Charlotte and George's initial mistrust quickly gives way to a passionate romance, the secrets between them threaten their union, and Charlotte must grow into the queen she knows she can be, no matter the cost.

Image Source: Everett Collection

Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte

By the time "Bridgerton" rolls around, Queen Charlotte (played by Golda Rosheuvel) is a settled monarch with enormous influence. She loves gossip and hates being one-upped by anyone, especially the mysterious Lady Whistledown, but beneath her imperious demeanour is a soft heart and a genuine love for seeing people fall in love, as it reminds her of her own bittersweet love story. As her husband's condition continues to deteriorate (breaking her heart in the process), she's forced to turn to more practical matters, like ensuring that her many children make proper marriages and have legitimate heirs to carry on the royal line.

Image Source: Everett Collection

Corey Mylchreest as Young King George III

Mylchreest takes George from a peripheral, rarely-seen character in the main "Bridgerton" series to the romantic (and somewhat tragic) hero of this spinoff. When we meet him, he's relatively new to the throne, but a charming and well-intentioned monarch determined to do right. He's also immediately attracted to his new bride, Charlotte, despite her initial disinterest. Their blossoming romance is dampened by George's secret struggles with mental illness, which he attempts to conceal from Charlotte and the public at large.

Image Source: Everett Collection

James Fleet as King George III

King George III, as played by Fleet, rarely is seen in public by the era of "Bridgerton," as his illness has taken its toll on him. When we do see him, he's either in the throes of a manic episode (and is often very distressed by it), or, on rare occasions, is aware enough to have dinner with his queen. In those moments, we catch a glimpse of the love he still has for her, but it's also clear those moments are increasingly few and far between.

Image Source: Everett Collection

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Arsema Thomas as Young Lady Agatha Danbury

Thomas plays the young version of Lady Danbury, an ambitious and vibrant young woman who already has been married off to a much older — and mostly unsatisfying — man. When the royal family decides to elevate some wealthy families of colour to noble titles, she and her husband are among them, suddenly thrusting them into the spotlight of court life. Lady Danbury bonds with the new young queen, offering her support and advice, but she's also hedging her own bets with other alliances at court in hopes of securing what seems to be a very precarious place indeed.

Image Source: Everett Collection

Adjoa Andoh as Lady Agatha Danbury

Andoh's older version of Lady Danbury has, as she tells Kate Sharma, "lived a life." By the time we encounter her in "Bridgerton," she is a widow and a grande dame of society, bold and self-assured enough to intimidate pretty much everyone except the Queen. Her life is touched by tragedy, as when she watches her friend, Sarah Basset, die in childbirth, and Agatha ensures that Sarah's son, Simon, later the Duke of Hastings, has a proper upbringing and a lifelong ally despite his horrible father. She also sponsors the family of her old friend, Mary Sharma, as they return to society. Over the first couple of "Bridgerton" seasons, she essentially becomes an honorary member of their extended family.

Image Source: Everett Collection

Connie Jenkins-Greig as Young Violet Ledger

As played by Jenkins-Greig, young Violet Ledger, the curious and kind-hearted daughter of Lord and Lady Ledger, has a smaller role in the "Queen Charlotte" prequel. She's still fairly young and a few years away from entering society and meeting her true love. When we first meet them, Violet and her father seem happy to embrace the "Great Experiment" and the newly-elevated aristocrats of colour, while her mother, Lady Ledger, is considerably less thrilled.

Image Source: Everett Collection

Ruth Gemmell as Lady Violet Bridgerton

Decades later, the version of Violet played by Gemmell is an older, wiser, and dignified matriarch. After many years of happy marriage to Edmund, Viscount Bridgerton, and several children together, Violet is widowed far too young after Edmund dies from a bee sting while she's pregnant with their youngest child, Hyacinth. Over the years, Violet learns to live with her grief and guides her children as they grow up, teaching them the value of a true love match, but the bittersweet memories of her own past continue to affect her.

Image Source: Everett Collection

Sam Clemmett (left) as Young Brimsley

Clemmett plays the young version of Brimsley, the courtier assigned to Charlotte upon her arrival. Always exactly five steps behind the queen, he soon proves himself to be a deft and deeply loyal advisor. Even as he tries to help Charlotte through the early days of her marriage and the slow reveal of her new husband's secret illness, he's keeping a secret of his own: a long-running clandestine love affair.

Image Source: Everett Collection

Hugh Sachs as Brimsley

In the main "Bridgerton" era, Brimsley, now played by Sachs, is rarely far from the Queen's side and runs point on her investigation into the true identity of Lady Whistledown. Still loyal and devoted, sometimes to a comic degree, he's one of her most trusted advisors, despite (or perhaps because of) his penchant for gossip. He's also one of the few people who is, at least occasionally, allowed to be truly honest with her, such as when she asks him for advice on her children's marital prospects.

Image Source: Everett Collection

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