- Warning: Minor spoilers ahead for "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story" season one.
- "Sorrows, sorrows, prayers" is the titular queen's go-to phrase when it comes to comforting others.
Every season of "Bridgerton" so far has left audiences with one iconic phrase that we just can't get out of our heads.
From "I burn for you" in season one, to "You are the bane of my existence and the object of all my desires" in season two, the Netflix period drama has created buzzy sound bites that have taken on a life of their own.
And now, in the prequel series "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story," which premiered last week, we have another that fans just can't get enough of — although it's not a lustful line delivered in a moment of passion like its predecessors, but a hilarious relatable reaction for anyone who's ever not known how to react to unfortunate news.
"Sorrows, sorrows, prayers" appears to be the titular queen's go-to phrase when it comes to comforting others in their moments of distress and the detached, aloof manner in which she delivers it makes it clear that there's not much conviction behind her words.
Audiences first hear the older version of Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) say the line in the opening episode of the drama while mechanically petting her son, Prince George, on the head as a way to console him over the death of his daughter, who has died in childbirth and left the royal family without an heir.
Later in the same episode, the monarch attempts to galvanize her dozen or so adult children into producing another successor now that the only heir apparent is dead and accidentally sets off her son's tears once again. Exasperatedly, Charlotte repeats her perfunctory commiseration.
The younger version of Charlotte (India Amarteifio) is also shown employing the phrase when half-heartedly trying to console Lady Danbury (Arsema Thomas) after her husband's death, indicating that the monarch's lack of empathy has been a lifelong affliction.
In all instances, we're led to believe that Charlotte couldn't actually care less. She doesn't appear to have much patience when it comes to the task of comforting others in their grief.
Instead, it seems that she's trying to get through the customary consolations as quickly as possible so that she might move onto topics of conversation that actually serve some purpose to her.
While fans have already adopted the motto on TikTok as their "new way of consoling people," in an interview with Decider, Rosheuvel said she hopes the phrase will become a becomes a hashtag.
@ms_mikun92 #queencharlotte #bridgerton #fyp #queenchallenge ♬ original sound - Ayo
"Yeah, it's going to be an iconic line and I'm going to have T-shirts printed and I will be sending them all out to you all," she said.
Explaining why she thinks Charlotte can't muster up more sympathy, she added: "I think comedy has to come from truth and the truth is the complex relationship that she has with her children."
"The need to show some kind of love, but the complexity of society and the dedication and the need for an heir. I think she is struggling with all of that in that moment."
"Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story," created by "Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal" creator Shonda Rhimes, follows the life of the mercurial monarch who viewers first met in season one of "Bridgerton."
The six-episode-long season jumps between two time periods: one in which Queen Charlotte as audiences know continues to try and unmask Lady Whistledown and cares for her mentally ill husband King George (James Fleet), and another wherein we watch the young Charlotte's rise to prominence and power.