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Dearest Gentle Reader: The following article reveals moments and scenes from Queen Charlotte: The Bridgerton Story. Consider yourself warned.

The long-awaited Queen Charlotte: The Bridgerton Story, released last Thursday, begins with a warning. In opening remarks delivered by Lady Whistledown, it is explained that the depiction of Queen Charlotte’s early days “is not a history lesson. This is fiction inspired by facts. All liberties of the author are completely intentional.”

The prequel is clearly intended to challenge, in commendable Bridgerton style, the social norms of 18th-century London, including racial discrimination, the avoidance of queer novels, and the absurd notion of femininity as equated with weakness.

It is unclear whether the authors intended to introduce readers to the nuances of an ancient cultural and astrological female archetype. Regardless, by showing us the royal romance of Queen Charlotte and King George III, it does just that. What happens in the series is an undeniable reflection of Venus, the goddess long associated with our nearest planet.

How Queen Charlotte is an example of Venus

The Phoenicians knew her as Astratus. The Egyptians called her Isis and Aset. In Greek mythology, she was Aphrodite. And in Roman times, she was known as Venus.

Ancient cultures around the world attributed goddesses to a planet known as Venus. Although their titles and attributes differ, the goddesses were equally revered for strength, intelligence, grace, passion, creativity, sexuality, art, healing, magic, and sometimes fury. Above all, the goddess of each culture was considered “the pinnacle of beauty and love.” A cultural icon, albeit a bit misunderstood. And Venus is her name.

Or is it Charlotte? Venus is only mentioned later, but her queenly attributes are evident from the very beginning of the first episode.

Shortly after the British royal family buys Charlotte as a bride from her brother, he tries to calm her anger by comparing her to art. Dressed in stylish Lyon silk, 200-year-old lace and sapphires, Charlotte remains motionless as she begins to sharply refute his condescending comment. When he tries to reassure her again, she replies with dignity that she’s not just emotional, but rather unable to breathe because of her crushing whalebone corset that the situation he’s created for her requires. This is the behavior of a goddess.

Charlotte then tries to avoid an arranged marriage by climbing a wall in her wedding dress. She reconsiders and tacitly agrees to the wedding only when she is given an idea of ​​the person she is going to marry. Then she ditches the boring girly dress the king’s mother insisted on for a lavish design she commissioned from a Parisian milliner. Goddess. Goddess. Goddess.

And yet, the truly regal attributes of Venus are connected not with Charlotte’s appearance, but with what she experiences inside. She enjoys theatre, reading, art, music and fashion. She is sensitive to the poor and orphans. She is attentive. She is compassionate. She is true to herself, but maintains respect for others.

As she interrogates her ladies, we see the 17-year-old’s quite understandable fear that her chosen one, whom she has yet to meet, might be “deformed” or “ugly.” She catches herself and then rephrases her questions, asking instead if he’s funny, kind, or cruel.

Interestingly, these traits are also attributed to Taurus, the astrological sign ruled by the planet Venus. It so happened that Queen Charlotte, who was born on May 19, 1744, was a Taurus. It’s probably no coincidence that the TV series about the Queen’s past came out in Taurus season during Mercury retrograde.

What Venus looks like in Charlotte’s love story

Those obsessed with Bridgerton are no strangers to showrunner Shonda Rhimes, who favors complicated love stories. The novel is challenged not only by an arranged marriage and cross-cultural differences, but also by a scheming mother-in-law, the weight of the royal family, the impetuousness of youth, and, probably the saddest, the king’s mercurial temperament, which, according to historical sources, was probably related to mental problems health, which at that time were not fully understood.

It is under the weight of these obstacles that Charlotte’s comparison with Venus becomes extremely obvious. Venus teaches us that love is intense, compassionate, and steadfast. Love is not being silently tolerant. It is also not an attribution of the female stereotype of submissiveness and submission. At times this may require maddening force, and at other times a receptive, though not passive, approach. This is, in fact, awareness.

When the king remains distant from Charlotte after their wedding, Charlotte chooses to stand up to him rather than feel sorry for herself. She was only slightly relieved when she learned that he had been holed up in his observatory looking at Venus and charting its course, and not, as she had feared, gone to the brothel. “You prefer the stars to my company,” she claims.

He can have The real King George III was focused on the transit of Venus in 1796, a rare crossing of the planet’s surface by the Sun. When he encourages her to look at the planet through a telescope so she can share his view, she whispers, “It’s beautiful.”

“Yes,” George replies, glaring at her.

In the space between science and mystery, overwhelming facts and human feelings, there are simply two different souls trying to meet each other. They try to do this with empathy, understanding and compassion, despite being angry, insecure and vulnerable towards others and themselves. This is Love.

Love is not perfect. But he is patient and kind. This is the fullest expression of the goddess Venus. The importance of the royal personification of Venus to Charlotte is demonstrated again and again when the king’s mental health fluctuates. This is evident in her ability to accept the fact that he is most himself when he is doing what he loves most. This can be seen in the fact that she constantly cares not about his sanity, but about his happiness and his soul. And it is she who lovingly reminds him, when he is lost between heaven and earth, that he is “just George” and she is Venus.

“You love, and you love hard, because if you don’t, you’re lost,” says the Queen in her later years. This is the message of Venus. It is not known whether this subtext was intended to depict her greatness as an astrological archetype and goddess. Although this reader can’t help but think that it really was meant to be.

About our contributor

Renee Marie Schettler is a senior editor Yoga magazine and was a staff writer and editor at The Washington Post, very simply, and various online media platforms. She started practicing yoga almost 20 years ago, and has been teaching yoga since 2017. Most nights you can see her slipping outside to look at the moon. Follow her at @reneemarischettler.