Do you need to watch Bridgerton to understand Queen Charlotte?

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is now available to stream on Netflix. Should you watch Bridgerton first to understand the prequel?

It’s usually not recommended to watch a spin-off before you watch the original series. This is usually due to character development happening within the main series to help set up some of the storylines and the relationships within the spin-off.

However, that’s different when you have a prequel spin-off. After all, prequels are set before the original storylines, so why would you need to understand future relationships? What about Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story? Is this one of those spin-offs where you’ll get away with jumping straight into?

You’ll want to watch Bridgerton before Queen Charlotte

There will be elements of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story that work on their own. These are the prequel elements to the story. We get to see young Charlotte before she marries George and becomes queen. It’s a chance to see their romance blossom and her rise in power and status.

However, there are also elements of the story that are a true spin-off to Bridgerton. There’s a chance to see more of the friendship between Charlotte, Lady Danbury and Violet Bridgerton. If you haven’t seen the original story, you won’t really understand the full meaning between them and how deep their friendships go.

That doesn’t mean you won’t understand any of it, though. If you only have time for the six episodes of Queen Charlotte this weekend, it’s going to be worth watching them. You’ll get a good understanding of who Charlotte is, which could help understand some of the motivations in the main series. You can always rewatch the limited series once you’ve watched Bridgerton afterward.

The limited series has been written in a way that will pull in and work for new fans. You’ll find you need more of the stories once you’re done, and Bridgerton Seasons 1 and 2 will be ready for you.

Queen Charlotte is now streaming in full on Netflix.