Netflix has dropped its sumptuous costume drama Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story with viewers getting a steamy and tragic romance of royal proportions.
The six-part series has been released as a boxset for Bridgerton fans to binge.
Episode one is titled Queen to Be and sets the scene with Queen Charlotte (played by India Amarteifio) meeting and marrying her husband King George III (Corey Mylchreest).
The episode ended with a touching tribute to Jacqueline Avant, whom the instalment was dedicated to.
Here’s a look at Jacqueline and why the first episode was in honour of her.
READ MORE: Netflix’s Queen Charlotte – A Bridgerton Story mixes fact with fiction
Who was Jacqueline Avant?
Jacqueline was a philanthropist and the wife of American music and film producer Clarence Avant, who was had the moniker of ‘The Black Godfather’.
Clarence and Jacqueline wed in 1967, going on to have two children daughter Nicole and son Alexander Du Bois.
Her daughter Nicole, who was a former US ambassador to the Bahamas, is married to Netflix executive Ted Sarandos and so Jacqueline was his mother-in-law.
Queen Charlotte’s producer and writer Shona Rhimes made the show after she was contacted by Sarandos.
Rhimes said: “The way I approached this story, the way I even got into making this story was, one, I’ve always been obsessed with Queen Charlotte.
“She’s a fascinating character. And I’ve always been obsessed with Lady Danbury, and Violet, and those people don’t always get to get their stories told to the fullest.
“But what really pushed it was Ted Sarandos, who called me up and said, ‘My mother-in-law is obsessed with Queen Charlotte. Do you want to do a Queen Charlotte story?’
“And I immediately said yes. Not just because it was Ted, but because I loved the idea.”
Rhimes went on to say: “We’re very clear about this world and about Queen Charlotte, who is a real historical figure, that this is not a history lesson. This is fiction inspired by fact.
“It’s very important to me that people understand that, because I’m telling the story of Queen Charlotte of Bridgerton, not of Queen Charlotte of England. It’s not that world.
“You really want to make a distinction so that you can tell the story as freely as you need to tell it.”
Jacqueline tragically died in 2021 after she was murdered by an intruder in the home she shared with her husband.
She died at the age of 81 with her killer Aariel Maynor receiving 190 years in jail after being sentenced in April this year.
The title card at the end of the episode serves as a fitting tribute to Jacqueline, who was a fan of the character.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is streaming on Netflix now