Shonda Rhimes has created a sumptuous fantasy world born out of history. Here, we give some context for Queen Charlotte and King George’s real-life reign.

Before entering the world of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, viewers should be aware that there is one obvious difference between that of the series that it will prequel, Bridgerton: the time period.

Queen Charlotte takes place 40 years before the events of Bridgerton, when Charlotte is 17 years old and George is a new king learning how to rule his nation. As such, we’re no longer in Bridgerton’s Regency era — we’ve now entered what was historically known as the Georgian era of English history.

Because Bridgerton is a modern take on the Regency period, historian and Regency expert Hannah Greig was brought in to consult and ensure that key details for everything from the dress to the balls to the inner workings of society felt accurate.

For Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, creator Shonda Rhimes turned to Georgian royalty expert Polly Putnam. Putnam has worked for Historic Royal Palaces since 2012 as the collections curator and is also the King George and Queen Charlotte expert at Kew Palace, retelling the royal couple’s story on a near-daily basis to visitors.

Such credentials were incredibly useful when building the Queen Charlotte world, but Putnam always knew that Rhimes wasn’t seeking to create an accurate historical drama. Even so, if the story isn’t period perfect, it’s no less useful historically.

Streaming May 4 only on Netflix.