Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Although popular among the general public, the claims are rejected by most scholars.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Linge |first=Mary |date=13 November 2021 |title=Real-life queen of 'Bridgerton' wasn't biracial – but she was a badass |work=New York Post |url=https://nypost.com/2021/11/13/real-queen-bridgerton-wasnt-biracial-but-she-was-a-badass/ |access-date=15 March 2022}}</ref><ref name="indianexpress.com" /><ref name="Lisa Hilton">{{cite web |last1=Hilton |first1=Lisa |title=The "mulatto" Queen Lisa Hilton Debunks a Growing Myth About a Monarch's Consort |url=https://thecritic.co.uk/issues/february-2020/the-mulatto-queen/ |website=TheCritic.co.uk |date=28 January 2020 |publisher=TheCritic |access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="Jill Sudbury">{{cite web |author=Jill Sudbury |title=Royalty, Race and the Curious Case of Queen Charlotte |url=http://acaciatreebooks.com/blog/royalty-race-and-the-curious-case-of-queen-charlotte/ |access-date=22 September 2020 |website=Acacia Tree Books|date=20 September 2018 }}</ref><ref name="jefferies">[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/mar/12/race-monarchy Stuart Jeffries, "Was this Britain's first black queen?"] ''[[The Guardian]]'', 12 March 2009.</ref> Aside from Stockmar's jab at her appearance shortly before her death, Charlotte was never referred to as having any specifically African physical features, let alone ancestry, during her lifetime. Furthermore, her portraiture was not atypical for her time, and painted portraits in general should not be considered reliable evidence of a sitter's true appearance.<ref name="Jill Sudbury" />

Although popular among the general public, the claims are rejected by most scholars.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Linge |first=Mary |date=13 November 2021 |title=Real-life queen of 'Bridgerton' wasn't biracial – but she was a badass |work=New York Post |url=https://nypost.com/2021/11/13/real-queen-bridgerton-wasnt-biracial-but-she-was-a-badass/ |access-date=15 March 2022}}</ref><ref name="indianexpress.com" /><ref name="Lisa Hilton">{{cite web |last1=Hilton |first1=Lisa |title=The "mulatto" Queen Lisa Hilton Debunks a Growing Myth About a Monarch's Consort |url=https://thecritic.co.uk/issues/february-2020/the-mulatto-queen/ |website=TheCritic.co.uk |date=28 January 2020 |publisher=TheCritic |access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="Jill Sudbury">{{cite web |author=Jill Sudbury |title=Royalty, Race and the Curious Case of Queen Charlotte |url=http://acaciatreebooks.com/blog/royalty-race-and-the-curious-case-of-queen-charlotte/ |access-date=22 September 2020 |website=Acacia Tree Books|date=20 September 2018 }}</ref><ref name="jefferies">[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/mar/12/race-monarchy Stuart Jeffries, "Was this Britain's first black queen?"] ''[[The Guardian]]'', 12 March 2009.</ref> Aside from Stockmar's jab at her appearance shortly before her death, Charlotte was never referred to as having any specifically African physical features, let alone ancestry, during her lifetime. Furthermore, her portraiture was not atypical for her time, and painted portraits in general should not be considered reliable evidence of a sitter's true appearance.<ref name="Jill Sudbury" />

The use of the term "Moor" as a racial identifier for Charlotte's ancestor [[Madragana]] is also inconclusive as during the Middle Ages the term was not used to describe race but religious affiliation.<ref>Blackmore, Josiah (2009). ''Moorings: Portuguese Expansion and the Writing of Africa''. U of Minnesota Press. pp. xvi, 18. {{ISBN|978-0-8166-4832-0}}.</ref><ref>Menocal, María Rosa (2002). ''Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain''. Little, Brown, & Co. {{ISBN|0-316-16871-8}}, p. 241</ref> Regardless, Madragana was more likely an Iberian [[Mozarab]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://purl.pt/15305/3/|title=Primeira parte das Chronicas dos reis de Portvgal|website=purl.pt|access-date=14 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/brasesdasalade01braauoft|title=Brasões da Sala de Sintra|first=Anselmo|last=Braamcamp Freire|date=14 September 1921|publisher=Coimbra : Imprensa da Universidade|access-date=14 September 2019|via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref>Felgueiras Gayo & Carvalhos de Basto, Nobiliário das Famílias de Portugal, Braga, 1989</ref><ref>Pizarro, José Augusto de Sotto Mayor, ''Linhagens Medievais Portuguesas'', 3 vols., Porto, Universidade Moderna, 1999.</ref> and any genetic contribution from an ancestor fifteen generations removed would be so diluted as to have a negligible effect on her appearance.<ref name="Lisa Hilton" /><ref name="jefferies" /> Historian [[Andrew Roberts (historian)|Andrew Roberts]] describes the claims as "utter rubbish", and attributes its public popularity to a hesitancy among historians to openly address it due to its "[[cultural cringe]] factor".<ref name=":0" />

The use of the term "Moor" as a racial identifier for Charlotte's ancestor [[Madragana]] is also inconclusive as during the Middle Ages the term was not used to describe race but religious affiliation.<ref>Blackmore, Josiah (2009). ''Moorings: Portuguese Expansion and the Writing of Africa''. U of Minnesota Press. pp. xvi, 18. {{ISBN|978-0-8166-4832-0}}.</ref><ref>Menocal, María Rosa (2002). ''Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain''. Little, Brown, & Co. {{ISBN|0-316-16871-8}}, p. 241</ref> Regardless, Madragana was more likely an Iberian [[Mozarab]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://purl.pt/15305/3/|title=Primeira parte das Chronicas dos reis de Portvgal|website=purl.pt|access-date=14 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/brasesdasalade01braauoft|title=Brasões da Sala de Sintra|first=Anselmo|last=Braamcamp Freire|date=14 September 1921|publisher=Coimbra : Imprensa da Universidade|access-date=14 September 2019|via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref>Felgueiras Gayo & Carvalhos de Basto, Nobiliário das Famílias de Portugal, Braga, 1989</ref><ref>Pizarro, José Augusto de Sotto Mayor, ''Linhagens Medievais Portuguesas'', 3 vols., Porto, Universidade Moderna, 1999.</ref> and any genetic contribution from an ancestor fifteen generations removed would be so diluted as to have a negligible effect on her appearance.<ref name="Lisa Hilton" /><ref name="jefferies" />

Historian [[Andrew Roberts (historian)|Andrew Roberts]] describes the claims as "utter rubbish", and attributes its public popularity to a hesitancy among historians to openly address it due to its "[[cultural cringe]] factor".<ref name=":0" />

In 2017, following the announcement of the engagement of [[Prince Harry]] and [[Meghan Markle]], a number of news articles were published promoting the claims.<ref name=brown/><ref name=blakemore>{{cite news |last1=Blakemore |first1=Erin |title=Meghan Markle Might Not Be the First Mixed-Race British Royal |url=https://www.history.com/news/biracial-royalty-meghan-markle-queen-charlotte |date=10 May 2023|access-date=21 September 2020}}</ref><ref name=kgb>{{cite news |last1=Bates |first1=Karen Grigsby |title=The Meaning Of Meghan: 'Black' And 'Royal' No Longer An Oxymoron In Britain |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/11/29/567012180/the-meaning-of-meghan-black-and-royal-no-longer-an-oxymoron |access-date=23 September 2020}}</ref> David Buck, a [[Buckingham Palace]] spokesperson, was quoted by the ''[[Boston Globe]]'' as saying: "This has been rumoured for years and years. It is a matter of history, and frankly, we've got far more important things to talk about."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/meghan-markle-prince-harry-engaged-royal-wedding-mixed-race-black-princess-british-monarchy-history-a8079251.html|title=Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wedding: Will the bride really be our first mixed-race royal?|first=Deneen L.|last=Brown|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date= 28 November 2017}}</ref>

In 2017, following the announcement of the engagement of [[Prince Harry]] and [[Meghan Markle]], a number of news articles were published promoting the claims.<ref name=brown/><ref name=blakemore>{{cite news |last1=Blakemore |first1=Erin |title=Meghan Markle Might Not Be the First Mixed-Race British Royal |url=https://www.history.com/news/biracial-royalty-meghan-markle-queen-charlotte |date=10 May 2023|access-date=21 September 2020}}</ref><ref name=kgb>{{cite news |last1=Bates |first1=Karen Grigsby |title=The Meaning Of Meghan: 'Black' And 'Royal' No Longer An Oxymoron In Britain |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/11/29/567012180/the-meaning-of-meghan-black-and-royal-no-longer-an-oxymoron |access-date=23 September 2020}}</ref> David Buck, a [[Buckingham Palace]] spokesperson, was quoted by the ''[[Boston Globe]]'' as saying: "This has been rumoured for years and years. It is a matter of history, and frankly, we've got far more important things to talk about."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/meghan-markle-prince-harry-engaged-royal-wedding-mixed-race-black-princess-british-monarchy-history-a8079251.html|title=Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wedding: Will the bride really be our first mixed-race royal?|first=Deneen L.|last=Brown|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date= 28 November 2017}}</ref>