The author of the books which inspired new Netflix drama Bridgerton has backed the decision to cast King George III’s wife as black.
Queen Charlotte is played by British actress Golda Rosheuvel, 49, in the new period drama, which has been tipped as a rival to the enormously popular Downton Abbey.
American author Julia Quinn, whose book series of the same name inspired the show, has backed the ‘colour-conscious’ casting, saying that ‘many historians’ believe Queen Charlotte had ‘some African background’.
The theory that Charlotte – who was born in what is now northern Germany – had African ancestry is partly based on how she looks in some portraits.
It has also been claimed that she is descended from a mistress of the 13th-Century Portuguese King Alfonso III, who may have been a Moor from North Africa.
However, historian Kate Williams previously said that ‘if we class Charlotte as black’ because of the alleged distant heritage, ‘then ergo Queen Victoria and our entire royal family, [down to Prince Harry, are also black’.
New Netflix drama Bridgerton depicts the wife of King George III as black, based on a disputed theory that she was of African descent. Queen Charlotte is played by British actress Golda Rosheuvel, 49
Bridgerton is set in Regency England, the period in the early 19th-Century when the ‘mad’ King George was too ill to reign himself and so his son ruled as his proxy.
Queen Charlotte, who was portrayed by Dame Helen Mirren in The Madness of King George, does not appear in Ms Quinn’s historical romance series.
The idea that the consort was black was partly popularised by historian Mario de Valdes y Cocom.
The theory is partly based on some royal portraits of her which some claim show she had stereotypical African features.
The idea that Queen Charlotte was black was partly popularised by historian Mario de Valdes y Cocom
American author Julia Quinn, whose book series of the same name inspired the show, has backed the ‘colour-conscious’ casting, saying that ‘many historians’ believe Queen Charlotte had ‘some African background’
Mr De Valdes y Cocom also claims to have traced her descent from a mistress of the 13th-Century Portuguese King Alfonso III, who may have been a Moor from North Africa.
However, mainstream historians are sceptical of the theory about Charlotte, who was born into an aristocratic German family and became queen consort in 1761 after her marriage to George III.
Speaking in an interview with The Times, Ms Quinn said: ‘Many historians believe she had some African background.
‘It’s a highly debated point and we can’t DNA test her so I don’t think there’ll ever be a definitive answer.’
Early reviews of Bridgerton have been very positive. It was described by the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine as ‘a rollicking romp of a show full of froth, escapism and romance’
The Netflix show also casts several other black actors, a decision which Ms Quinn said was made ‘very deliberately’.
‘It was very much a conscious choice, not a blind choice,’ she added.
Early reviews of Bridgerton have been very positive.
It was described by the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine as ‘a rollicking romp of a show full of froth, escapism and romance.’
The release of Bridgerton comes after the boss of a new Channel 5 drama about Anne Boleyn defended the decision to give the role to a black actress.
The casting of Jodie Turner-Smith as Henry VIII’s second wife in the Channel 5 production sparked accusations of ‘blackwashing’.
But director Lynsey Miller insisted: ‘I feel very strongly that we have the best actress for the role so I am happy to stand by it.
‘I’m very proud of what we have created together, so let them talk.
‘There are going to be a lot of people who don’t like it, but I feel like there has to be space for that and there are going to be a lot of people who love it. I’m one of them.’