The Bridgerton Family Tree Explained
The Shonda Rhimes hit "Bridgerton" returns to Netflix for a second season on March 25. Once again, it will focus on the Bridgerton family, an upscale clan living during Britain's Regency era, which took place in the second decade of the 19th century. The purpose of mothers during this era is to get their daughters ready to be presented to society and find the right match, while also making sure their sons make the right marriage choice.
"Bridgerton's" first season focused on oldest daughter Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor), who found the perfect love match with the Duke of Hastings, also known a Simon (Regé Jean-Page) (via Refinery 29). By the end of the season they were happily married with a baby.
Each season of "Bridgerton" is set to focus on another Bridgerton family member and their road to love, just like the series of novels they are based on by Julia Quinn. In season 2, Daphne will still make appearances, but she won't be the main character. Instead, it will be her brother Viscount Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey). And in the ensuing seasons another Bridgerton sibling will take center stage as the series explores their love lives. This happens all while a gossip columnist named Lady Whistledown (who we learned at the end of the first season is Penelope, the best friend of one of the Bridgerton siblings) continues to spill the family's secrets. Learn more about the Bridgerton family tree below.
Meet the parents: Edmund and Violet Bridgerton
The eight Bridgerton siblings are the product of the marriage between Edmund Bridgerton and Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell), who wed when they were 20 and 18, respectively. Unfortunately, Violet was left a widow with eight children when Edmund was killed due to an allergic reaction to a bee sting. He never even got to meet his youngest daughter, Hyacinth, as he died when Violet was pregnant with her.
After her husband's death, Violet chose not to remarry because she felt strong and independent enough to raise her family on their own and had her oldest child, Anthony, by her side to ensure her daughters made appropriate matches when they made their various debuts. Anthony is also there to be the honorary head of the family and takes care of their finances. According to Screen Rant, author Julia Quinn once said it would be too "bittersweet" to write an entire book about Edmund and Violet, although she did release a short story called "The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After," which features a young Violet and Edmund, but he is a peripheral character.
Oldest brother Anthony Bridgerton
Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) was only 18 years old when his father died and he inherited the unofficial title of head of the family, but he decided he would take that job seriously, without sacrificing too much of his own happiness in the process. In season one, we learned all about his secret affair with a young singer. While Anthony certainly seemed to love her, he knew he could not marry her because of her social class, so they broke things off, leaving Anthony heartbroken but knowing he has no choice but to finally marry someone within his social class.
In season two, Anthony will finally find his true love, or at least the perfect social match, in Edwina Sheffield (Charithra Chandran). The season will focus much on Edwinas's half-sister Kate's objection to this marriage and all she will do to try to stop it (via Screen Rant).
Second son Benedict Bridgerton
Violet and Edmund Bridgerton's second son, Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), loves to get his creative juices flowing and is an accomplished artist, after devoting himself to the skill in the first season, along with several other skills that brought him into a secret life filled with promiscuous men and women. He even meets a gay man named Lord Henry Granville (Julian Ovenden), who becomes both his mentor and his maybe lover, although the show never made that explicitly clear. CBR.com points out this aspect of Benedict's life wasn't actually a part of the books and was adapted for the small screen.
He will be the main featured sibling in the third season, as per Julia Quinn's books, where he also meets the woman he is meant to be with at a masquerade ball. He later meets a woman named Sophie Beckett and gets her a job working for his mother before realizing she and the woman he met at the ball are one in the same (via Screen Rant).
Third son Colin Bridgerton
During the first season of "Bridgerton," Colin (Luke Newton) wanted to find his own way in life and became engaged to a woman named Marina (Ruby Barker), who his family decided he was way too young to marry at just 22 years old. That wasn't the only problem. It seemed Marina, who was a distant cousin taken in by the Featheringtons, was pregnant and needed a father for her child, and thought Colin would be the perfect choice. She thought she would one day be with the man who fathered her child, but it wasn't meant to be (via Refinery 29).
When Colin learned Marina had been lying to him, he was heartbroken and ended their engagement. When he eventually becomes the focus of the show in the fourth season, expect him to finally develop feelings for his longtime neighbor and pal, Penelope Featherington, who also happens to be Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews). It has been apparent since season one that Penelope is madly in love with Colin (via Screen Rant).
Oldest daughter Daphne Bridgerton
Fans fell in love with the romance between Daphne Bridgerton and Simon during the first season, but in season two, we will only see Daphne at family events and as a supporting member of the cast because her love story has already been told. In fact, we won't see Regé Jean-Page as Simon at all, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Daphne was the innocent oldest daughter who was presented to Regency society in the first season with the purpose of finding her a husband. Since the Queen (Golda Rosheuvel) decided she liked her, Daphne had many suitors but eventually realized Simon was the man for her. While he married her, he did everything he could not to have children, which horrified Daphne. Finally, she got through to her husband, they reunited, and started a family. Simon had some family issues of his own that made him feel he could never be a good father. Will we at least see Daphne with their child in season two?
Second Bridgerton daughter Eloise
Poor Eloise (Claudia Jessie) seems to be the black sheep of the family. She looked to have zero interest in becoming a debutante in season one and was much more focused on the gossip columns from Lady Whistledown and enlisted the help of her best friend, Penelope (Nicola Coughlin), to find out who Lady Whistledown really was. She even officially took on the task for the Queen of England. Little did she know that the friend she called Pen was really the young lady penning these columns.
In the sixth book in the Julia Quinn series, Eloise finally comes into her own as a debutante and becomes pen pals with a man named Philip Crane after he becomes a widow due to his wife dying, also Penelope's cousin, passing away (via Stylist). When Eloise writes him a condolence letter, they become close until he finally asks her to marry him. Eloise is not quite sure what to say since she never actually met the man, but decides they have to see one another in person before agreeing to his proposal.
Third daughter Francesca Bridgerton
"Bridgerton" fans didn't meet the third oldest Bridgerton sister until the last episode of season 1 when Francesca Bridgerton (Ruby Stokes) made a return from Bath, England where she was staying with family, according to Screen Rant. We see Lady Violet Bridgerton receive a letter from Francesca toward the end of the season saying she is coming home, but we barely get a glimpse of her.
However, she is the focus of the sixth book in the Bridgerton series when she meets the man of her dreams, Michael Stirling. Well, at least she is the young woman of Michael's dreams. The pair become best friends while Michael falls in love. Michael tries to keep his feelings in, but finally has to confess to Francesca how he feels (via Screen Rant). However, it will be several years till we see this love story played out on screen as long as Netflix keeps renewing the popular series.
The youngest Bridgertons, Gregory and Hyacinth
When we first meet the two youngest Bridgerton siblings in season 1, Gregory (Will Tilston) is 12 years old and Hyacinth is 10. Obviously neither one was ready to be introduced to society to find a mate as of yet, and won't be for several seasons.
Hyacinth (Florence Hunt) is finally featured in the seventh book in the Julia Quinn series, and by then she is obviously no longer a 10-year-old. She even offers to translate an old diary belonging to a family friend except she only knows a bit of the Italian it is written in. Since Hyacinth seems to have eyes for this friend, Gareth St. Clair, she is determined to find out the secrets of the diary and may have to learn some more Italian fast. And, of course, Hyacinth and Gareth fall in love (via Hello!).
Young Gregory is finally featured in book 8 and is old enough to fall in love, so he does. Unfortunately, the object of his affections, Hermione Watson, loves another man. With Hermione's best friend, Lucy, disliking this other man, she works to get her to fall for Gregory. Of course, Lucy and Gregory end up falling for one another.