Queen Charlotte – A Bridgerton Story: This disease plagues King George in Netflix’s “Bridgerton” spin-off

• In the Netflix series “Bridgerton” we get to know the British King George as a sick, confused old man.
• However, his poor health is not solely due to his advanced age, because he was seriously ill as a young man.
• Shortly before marrying Queen Charlotte, George suffered from psychosis, anxiety disorders and had little control over his own body.

Already in the Netflix series “Bridgerton” we got to know the confused British King George. He hardly remembered his wife Charlotte and caused a stir at the royal court with his confused actions. The queen keeps him out of the public eye so that the people don’t find out about the king’s illness. Just like his mother Princess Augusta years before.

But Georg’s illness has nothing to do with age. At least not only. As we learn in the spin-off Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, the king also suffered from psychosis at a young age. These manifested themselves as delusions and the loss of control over his body.

The king blames his health on his fear of failure and the pressure of ruling a kingdom. Princess Augusta therefore has every doctor in the country come to help her son. But only the methods of the unscrupulous doctor Dr. Monro can bring relief to the king.

With his unconventional healing method, he can temporarily contain the disease, but his patient has to pay a high price for this. Because his treatment is so time-consuming, George withdraws from the palace and rejects his wife Charlotte. The desperate king has no time to worry about anything but his health.

In his place, his personal servant Reynolds handles communications with Charlotte. Since he doesn’t want to reveal what’s bothering the king, the queen often leaves little behind, apart from words of comfort.

But the doctor’s harsh treatment methods don’t always work. Along with drowning, beatings and humiliation, it is ultimately Charlotte who is able to protect George from himself and his illness.

It really was like that

The real king, who serves as a template for the series king, suffered from the same symptoms. According to current knowledge, it is assumed that the king suffered from the metabolic disease porphyria, which was triggered by arsenic poisoning.

His suffering became so great that he could no longer rule, and his wife Charlotte and eldest son George IV had to take over his duties. King George suffered only intermittently from his illness. This means that he has also had good moments where he has been able to hold his posts as king without much trouble.

With age, these phases became fewer and shorter. At the age of 72, the real king also went blind due to cataracts. Rheumatism and growing dementia also made life difficult for George. The blindness of the king has not yet appeared in “Bridgerton”, but the dementia is clearly noticeable.

In real life, the king died two years after his wife at the age of 82. It remains to be seen whether the series royal couple will do the same.