Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’s present timeline features a few updates about the Bridgerton family from Lady Violet Bridgerton herself. None of the anecdotes reveal too much about Bridgerton’s upcoming third season, inspired by Julia Quinn’s Romancing Mister Bridgerton. However, its plot does appear to telegraph Benedict Bridgerton’s romantic timeline. Instead, as the prequel series shines a light on Queen Charlotte, Lady Danbury and Lady Violet more exclusively, the hints at the Bridgerton children are more subtle.
Any indication of what they mean for Bridgerton’s characters and timeline requires some deduction skills akin to that of Lady Whistledown. For instance, Violet is with two young children in Season 1, Episode 2, “Honeymoon Bliss.” One of which is noticeably Daphne and Simon’s firstborn, August Basset. The other child’s identity remains a question until Violet mentions the whereabouts of the Viscount and Viscountess later in the season. So, context clues suggest that the younger child is Daphne and Simon’s second child. Understanding this reveal requires a closer examination of the universe’s canon and timeline.
Dowager Viscountess Violet Bridgerton Spills the Tea
First and foremost, it’s imperative to unpack the details that Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story provides. In “Honeymoon Bliss,” the reveal of the two children comes as Lady Whistledown says — or writes, “However, there are some very special joys well worth waiting for.” A new Bridgerton family member can be qualified as special joy, especially for Violet, Daphne and Simon. It’s also a sign that the child is there with August, playing a miniature version of Pall Mall, which is a game that encompasses grief, love and beyond for the family.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’s present timeline takes place in the winter and around Christmas. That detail reveals more about the timeline when Violet tells Lady Danbury, “Anthony is on his honeymoon,” in Season 1, Episode 5, “Gardens in Bloom.” Violet also adds, “Gregory has grown what seems, what, twice his height in a month. Eloise is in some kind of squabble with Penelope. And you know how close those two are. So she is stomping around the house looking like a cloud of thunder.” The latter reflects Season 2’s focus on Peneloise’s friendship, but the initial comment reveals critical information in understanding the timeline.
The Basset Family Tree Grows in Bridgerton Season 2
Daphne brings Augie to Aubrey Hall in Season 2, Episode 3, “A Bee in Your Bonnet,” and he’s still a baby after being born at the end of Season 1. When they return to that location in Season 2, Episode 8, “The Viscount Who Loved Me,” Augie is only learning how to walk. That timing means that Augie is likely three or four months old towards the beginning of the season and nine or ten months by the end. With that math, he is likely around a year or so old in “Queen to Be.”
Because the spinoff’s present timeline is around Christmas and the second child looks about 3 or 4 months old, Daphne and Simon likely welcomed this new member of their family in August or September. Correlating with Augie’s age, that timeline signifies that Season 2’s epilogue also takes place then, likely leaving the newborn in a nursery. With Eloise mentioning that Kate and Anthony have been “away traveling for six months,” Daphne assumably finds out that she is expecting prior to Season 2’s time jump. While Daphne never reveals as much during her time away from Simon in Season 2, it’s to be expected as those are the only nine months available within Bridgerton’s timeline for such an event to occur.
Anthony and Kate Are Still on Their Honeymoon
Time will tell if this baby is Belinda, Daphne and Simon’s second daughter as named in the books. After all, the couple has two girls back-to-back in the source material, and Bridgerton adds its twist with a firstborn son named August. Regardless, context clues, however confuddled by a foggy timeline, point to the Basset family growing rather than the branches of Anthony and Kate’s family tree. The couple only unites at the end of Season 2 after a journey built on emotional intimacy. So it’s only fair that they enjoy an extended honeymoon period.
Albeit, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story throws in a worthy misleading detail with the “E” building block on the floor in front of Violet and the baby in “Honeymoon Bliss.” Readers of Quinn’s books know that Anthony and Kate’s firstborn son is named Edmund, after the viscount’s father. Because of Season 2’s emphasis on Anthony’s relationship with his father, it would be a letdown for the Bridgerton universe to introduce this child in such an unceremonious way. Anthony and Kate are big enough players in the ton that one would assume Lady Whistledown would want to write about the Viscount and the Viscountess welcoming their first child in Season 3 — or Season 4.
