In celebration of such a momentous occasion, they crafted a ‘Spring Waltz’ themed party for students featuring a very remarkable performance from New Orleans house icon Big Freedia on the school’s campus.

Adding in a supreme element of surprise, as a “gift from Queen Charlotte,” there was “an unveiling of Xavier University’s first-ever marching band uniform.”

The celebration was an emblem of love to royal culture at HBCUs.

In the spirit of campus royalty, myriad appearances were made by royal members of XULA’s scholastic community and beyond: Dr. Reynold Verret (XULA’s President) and Patrice Bell (XULA’s VP of Administration) to campus queens Nina Giddens (Miss Xavier University Of Louisiana), Aleya Barber (Miss Tuskegee University), Jerika Edwards (Miss Dillard University), and Taverlyn Shepard (Miss Prairie View A&M University).

Hosted by iHeartRadio personality and songwriter Sheba Songz, the night encompassed performances from the all-female Original Pinettes Brass Band, as well as, from XULA’s Gold Star Dance Team: The Golden Starettes and XULA’s Homecoming Court. Following central festivities for the night, Big Freedia concluded the illustrious evening with a high-octane performance of her recently released Bridgerton-themed track,  “Hey Queen (New Orleans Bounce Remix).”

As a decadent backdrop, the evening’s performance on and around a floral circular stage that was rendered from the exact crown Queen Charlotte wears in the show. The 20-foot tall crown weighs over 2000 pounds and has over 1,600 elaborate beads, as well as 160 metal-cut flowers.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is a Bridgerton-verse prequel that chronicles the story of how the young Queen’s marriage to King George sparked both a great love story and a societal shift, creating the world of the Ton inherited by the characters in Bridgerton.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is set to premiere May 4 on Netflix.