In the first two seasons of “Bridgerton,” Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews) only published her gossip sheets during the social season and they were mainly focused on the noble class.
However, in the present timeline of “Queen Charlotte,” Whistledown is not only publishing through the winter but also discussing the scandals of the royal family, which is more treasonous.
This could hint that Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), the identity of Lady Whistledown, may have become more obsessed with her endeavor and thus been going down a darker path.
In “Bridgerton” season two, Penelope stops being Lady Whistledown after she had to defame her friend Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) to stop her from getting in trouble with the Queen.
However, when Eloise finds out the truth, the pair have a big fallout. This leads to Penelope returning to her pen and becoming Lady Whistledown again.
In season three, we will see whether her return was the right decision.
“Bridgerton” is set in a fictional historical universe where England’s nobility society intermingle regardless of race.
In season one, Lady Danbury explains that this is the case because King George fell in love with Queen Charlotte, who is a Black woman.
In “Queen Charlotte,” the audience gets to see this transformation take place. When the royal court chose Charlotte (India Amarteifio) to be King George’s (Corey Mylchereest) wife, they didn’t realize that she was Black.
Hence, they quickly started to integrate the Black nobles in English society to make it seem like it was purposeful.
This is often described in the prequel show as “the great experiment.”
Season two of “Bridgerton” introduced Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset’s (Regé-Jean Page) first child, Augie, after they got married in season one.
However, during a montage set in the later timeline in episode two, Violet Bridgerton is looking after two small children.
This could hint that the season one couple had a second baby after season two. In the book series, the pair have five children in total.
In episode two, young Queen Charlotte is gifted a Pomeranian by King George during their separation.
However, instead of liking the token of his love, she calls it a “deformed bunny” and gets upset.
Fans of “Bridgerton” may remember that the elder queen is often surrounded by multiple poms. The show indicates that she grows to care for the dog because they were a gift from George whom she falls in love with.
In “Queen Charlotte,” we meet the matriarch of the Bridgerton family, Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell), when she was 12 years old (Connie Jenkins-Greig).
In her first appearance in episode three, she is quickly shown to be as inquisitive and revolutionary as her future daughter, Eloise Bridgerton.
This may be a hint at why Violet is so keen to get Eloise married in “Bridgerton” season two because she sees herself in her.
In “Bridgerton,” Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) always hosts the first ball of the season, the period where men and women of London court each other.
The past timeline in “Queen Charlotte” shows how this idea got set in stone. In the series, young Agatha Danbury (Arsema Thomas) and her husband Hermann Danbury (Cyril Nri) are appointed as Lord and Lady, one of the first Black members of England to be given such a title. Using her position in the Queen’s court and advisor to the King’s mother, Lady Danbury is able to ask for many favors.
In episode three, at the request of her husband Hermann, Lady Danbury asks to host the first ball of the season to show that the Black lords and ladies are accepted by the ton as a member of society. Lady Danbury faces opposition but with help from Charlotte successfully organizes the ball and cementing her position as the first ball hoster for the years after.
Hermann never gets to see any of the future balls since he dies the night of the ball after the celebration.
In episode five, Violet gives a brief update about some of the fan-favorite characters while she was trying to avoid confessing to Lady Danbury that she is starting to have sexual feelings again.
She tells the widow that Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), her eldest son, is currently traveling on his honeymoon with his new wife Kate (Simone Ashley).
Season two of “Bridgerton” depicts their love story and when we last see the pair, they are happily married and enjoying life with the Bridgerton family.
Violet also bridges the gap between seasons two and three regarding Penelope and Eloise’s relationship.
At the end of season two, it seemed like their friendship was over after Eloise finds out about Penelope’s secret identity, Lady Whistledown.
Violet confirms that her daughter is still in a “squabble” with her closest friend, meaning the pair will probably not be friends again when we see them again in season three.
In the final episode, there are two scenes where George and Charlotte, from both timelines, go under the bed to hide from the rest of the world and its problems.
During these moments, the queen is wearing an emerald necklace. Queen Charlotte previously stated in “Bridgerton” season two that “her favorite necklace is one of emeralds.”
This could hint that the reason Charlotte likes emeralds is so that George can recognize her.
