Piatkus wins Queen Charlotte novel by Quinn and Rhimes

Piatkus has acquired the rights to a romantic novel inspired by Bridgerton’s Queen Charlotte and King George III, from author Julia Quinn and screenwriter Shonda Rhimes. 

The original Bridgerton book series was adapted into a hit Netflix show by Rhimes in 2020, incorporating the new character of Queen Charlotte, portrayed by Golda Rosheuvel. Now, Quinn is using Rhimes’ upcoming spinoff, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, as the basis of her new novel. 

Anna Boatman, fiction publisher, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Australia and New Zealand, from Jennifer Joel at Creative Artists Agency, for publication on 9th May in hardback, e-book and audio.

The synopsis reads: “In 1761, a king and queen met for the very first time. They were married within hours. 

“Born a German Princess, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was beautiful, headstrong, and fiercely intelligent, not precisely the attributes the British court had been seeking in a spouse for the young King George III. But her fire and independence were exactly what she needed, because George had secrets—secrets with the potential to shake the very foundations of the monarchy.

“Thrust into her new role as a royal, Charlotte must learn to navigate the intricate politics of the court all the while guarding her heart because she is falling in love with the king, even as he pushes her away. Above all, she must learn to rule and to understand that she has been given the power to remake society. She must fight—for herself, for her husband, and for all her new subjects who look to her for guidance and grace. For she will never be just Charlotte again. She must instead fulfill her destiny as queen.” 

Boatman said: “We are very proud to have been Julia Quinn’s publisher in the UK for many years. We have loved working with the teams at Shondaland/Netflix in recent years as Julia’s books found an even greater audience and couldn’t be more delighted to be publishing this fantastic collaboration.”

Quinn said: “Taking Bridgerton from book to screen was fascinating for me to watch and it’s such an exciting challenge for me to take it in the other direction, this time crafting Shonda’s vision into a novel. I’m especially thrilled to have the opportunity to write about Queen Charlotte, who was not in the original novels. Her character—and Golda Rosheuvel’s portrayal of her—was a tour de force and readers will love getting a chance to know her more deeply.”

Rhimes added: “Queen Charlotte has been such a moving character to write and now having the opportunity to work with Julia to adapt this story into a book is such an exciting opportunity.”

The spinoff series will launch on 4th May.