In Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Adolphus is Queen Charlotte’s brother and Lady Danbury’s suitor. Tunji Kasim plays the role of Adolphus.
Duke Adolphus Frederick the Fourth of Mecklenburg-Strelitz is Charlotte’s older brother. After their parents died, Charlotte became Adolphus’ responsibility. He believes that she is a headstrong woman because he always allowed her to do whatever she wanted.
Adolphus wants the best for his sister, but his duties to his province do not allow him to be as understanding as Charlotte wishes him to be. There are times when he even dismisses her feelings as her being emotional, which frustrates and annoys Charlotte.
The helpless brother
When Great Britain asks for Charlotte’s hand in marriage for King George, Adolphus has no choice but to agree to the match, as their small province in Germany cannot afford to make an enemy out of the most powerful nation in the world.
He signs the betrothal contract and after that, tries to convince Charlotte, as well as himself, that she will be happy. When Charlotte argues, he makes it known to her that he is just as helpless as she is and asks her to do her duty to her country.
Charlotte understands the position he is in and agrees to marry George. As soon as she is married, Adolphus leaves her with nothing but a formal greeting that does not fail to remind her what is now expected of her as George’s wife.
Later, when George is getting treated by Dr. Monro and does not reply to any of Charlotte’s letters, a lonely Charlotte writes to Adolphus, as she wishes to go back home; she cannot leave without male protection.
Adolphus comes to meet Charlotte but cannot take her with him because she is pregnant. He reminds her that her body and her unborn child are not hers; they belong to George and the kingdom. He also makes it clear that he is no longer her family.
However, he still wishes to know if everything is fine with her. Charlotte assures him that it is and does not tell him the truth. He then reveals that even if things were not fine, it would be hard for him to do anything about it, as he formed an alliance with the British Empire when Charlotte got engaged to George.
He did not think of the alliance as giving his sister to strangers in exchange for the British Empire’s protection. He believes that this alliance was the best for everyone because now their province has the protection of Great Britain. Charlotte, who hoped that her brother would take her away, is once again left without a choice.
The proposal
When Charlotte runs away to Lady Danbury’s house and Adolphus comes to get her, Adolphus meets Lady Danbury for the first time. He then wishes to court her, and Lady Danbury allows him to do so, as marrying him would solve so many of her problems.
While she has feelings for Lord Ledger, she is well aware that she cannot be with him, but she can be with Adolphus. She knows that Adolphus is a good man, who runs his own land and has a title that was not given to him because of an experiment.
Adolphus cares for Lady Danbury and pays attention to her needs, but when he proposes, she refuses to marry him because she realizes that she will be moving to a different country where she will have no friends. She will have to learn their language and give birth to more children, as Adolphus needs an heir.
Even though Adolphus promises to raise the Danbury children as his own, Lady Danbury does not wish to marry him or anyone else after putting up with Lord Danbury for years.
Adolphus warns her that she might be making a mistake, but her answer remains the same. Adolphus is heartbroken, but Charlotte knows that he will be able to move on. Lady Danbury never marries anyone and tells Violet about Adolphus years later.
Also Read: Lord Danbury: Queen Charlotte Character explained