Queen Im Hwa Ryeong is the primary character in the Netflix drama Under the Queen’s Umbrella and she’s played by Kim Hye-su.
Under the Queen’s Umbrella is set in Korea during the Joseon period and revolves around Queen Im Hwa Ryeong and her efforts to turn her rabble-rousing sons into respectable grand princes and worthy heirs to the throne.
Standing in her way are the several royal consorts of the king and the Queen Dowager, the king’s mother. The consorts have their own sons who they wish to see surpass the crown prince, while the Queen Dowager was once a concubine who did succeed in deposing the queen of her time.
Did Im Hwa Ryeong actually exist?
Im Hwa Ryeong is the queen of King Lee Ho and mother to 5 sons. Her oldest son is the crown prince and heir to the throne while her other sons are the grand princes and next in line.
However, despite the cultural inspirations, the characters in this series are fictional and only loosely based on various monarchs of the dynasty. The only real aspect of the series is the royal traditions and the visual depiction of the era.
The Joseon dynasty was the name of the last dynastic kingdom of Korea which ruled for a little over 500 years from 1392 until 1897. Kings were known to have several consorts apart from the queen in order the propagate the royal bloodline.
Also Read: Under the Queen’s Umbrella season 1 episode 1 recap & review