The True Story Behind Bridgerton Did Queen Charlotte Really Have Her Own Zoo?
In Bridgerton season 2, Queen Charlotte happily shows off the beginnings of her own personal zoo, and it’s worth asking if it was something made up for the Netflix series or a true historical story. In Bridgerton season 2, episode 2, “Off to the Races,” the queen attempts to elicit Edwina Sharma’s help identifying Lady Whistledown while Edwina and her sister Kate admire the queen’s collection of zebras. Queen Charlotte also mentions owning an elephant to Lady Danbury, and later acquires peacocks to entertain guests at Edwina’s wedding to Anthony Bridgerton.
Bridgerton takes place during the Regency Era after King George III had fallen ill and was no longer fit to rule. In the Netflix series, his wife Queen Charlotte has taken over social and ruling functions and appears predominantly fixated on uncovering the identity of Lady Whistledown, who has repeatedly questioned some of her choices in her papers. However, the queen’s real-life counterpart was interested in far more than just the latest scandal.
Although calling it a zoo may be a bit of an exaggeration, Queen Charlotte did have a collection of exotic animals just like her character in Bridgerton season 2, though this was far from unusual for the time period. During the 18th and early 19th centuries in Great Britain, and especially in London, members of the aristocracy often owned their own collections of wild animals, considering them yet another extravagance to decorate their homes and entertain guests. At the height of England’s colonizing days, British citizens were eager to get their hands on some of the unknown creatures native to colonized lands so that they could appear more worldly themselves. Animals such as lions, tigers, monkeys, and countless species of birds were sent overseas to become the main attraction at aristocratic parties. In real life and in Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte made sure she would not miss out on such an exciting endeavor.
In fact, Queen Charlotte was one of the leading collectors of wild animals of the era, and did indeed own several zebras and an elephant just as she does in Bridgerton. She also sparked an interest in kangaroos in England after being the first person in the country to own some, even gifting their offspring to some of her wealthy friends. The real Queen Charlotte had many other interests throughout her life as well, including a love of music and botany. She was also responsible for founding several orphanages and a hospital for expectant mothers during her time as queen. Although Bridgerton has not devoted much time to showing many of these endeavors, hopefully, Queen Charlotte’s prequel series will be able to better explore her life outside of London’s social season.
Queen Charlotte’s zoo in Bridgerton was inspired by real history and helps immerse the audience in that time in history, even if the Netflix series has not yet shown any other aristocratic house’s attempt to curate their own collection. Perhaps the queen’s interest in such a hobby will be the spark that encourages other members of the aristocracy to purchase their own wild animals. Such a detail would let Netflix’s Bridgerton be that much more historically accurate.
