The Real Queen Charlotte: Inside the Real Bridgerton Court

by Catherine Curzon

Overview

Known to millions as the imperious matriarch of Bridgerton’s court, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was still a teenager when she was chosen to be the bride of King George III. Shy, innocent, and sheltered, the orphaned princess and her youthful groom carried the hopes of a nation on their shoulders.

The placid and unassuming young couple symbolized a new beginning, but soon those hopes began to sour. Charlotte and George’s marriage lasted for nearly 60 years and produced more than a dozen children, but it was beset by unrest at home, war in the colonies, and the king’s encroaching madness.

As the royal couple battled against their critics, their political opponents, and sometimes even their own family, Charlotte learned what it really meant to be queen. Locked in a bitter struggle with her eldest son for the king’s future and with her daughters for their freedom, the timid young girl grew into an insular and domineering woman that few dared to cross.

Shouldering the burden of family disputes, ambitious courtiers, and the care of the man she adored, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz presided over one of the most tumultuous eras that the monarchy has ever seen. As tragic as it was glittering, this is the story of her extraordinary life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781399097017
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	09/21/2022
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	463,599
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x (d)

About the Author

CATHERINE CURZON is a royal historian who writes on all matters 18th century at www.madamegilflurt.com. Her work has been featured on HistoryExtra.com, the official website of BBC History Magazine, and in publications such as Explore History, All About History, History of Royals, and Jane Austen’s Regency World. She has spoken at venues including Kenwood House, Wellington College, the Royal Pavilion, the Hurlingham Club, the National Maritime Museum and Dr Johnson’s House.

Catherine holds a master’s degree in film and when not dodging the furies of the guillotine, can be found cheering on the mighty Terriers. She lives in Yorkshire atop a ludicrously steep hill.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vii

The Royal Family viii

Introduction x

Act 1 Princess 1

Mother of England 1

The Seat of Every Social Virtue 4

The Most Regular and Most Agreeable 7

May It Please Your Majesty 9

The Boiling Youth 13

Talk of a Wedding 17

An Amiable Character 19

Nature Has Been Bountiful 21

What Food for Newsmongers 26

The Destiny of the British Nation 30

Overjoy'd to the Greatest Degree 35

Confined as in a Convent 41

Act 2 Queen 51

The Most Deserving of All Friends 51

Our Royal Race 57

The Late Dowager 64

A Certain Want of Something 68

Some Secret Terror 71

The Queen is Really King 79

Where the King Is, There Shall I Be 81

A Fatal Precedent 83

A Smart Little Tussle 93

That Tyger Nation 98

One Damned German Frau 99

A Most Severe Trial 104

The Sun of Our Days Was Set 109

Act 3 Guardian 116

Engraven On My Heart 116

The Care and Custody of His Majesty 122

Take a Mother's Advice 124

Exposing Herself Like an Opera Girl 129

An Unpleasant and Painful Business 133

Scathed By the Hand of Heaven 137

A Strange and Unaccountable Dread 141

Afterword 145

Bibliography 146

Newspapers 153

Websites Consulted 153

Notes 155

Index 166