‘Bridgerton’: Did Daphne Miss a Great Opportunity by Choosing the Duke?
The first season of Bridgerton followed Daphne and the Duke of Hastings’ love story. The pair pretended to be madly in love for a ruse that would benefit both of them, but they ended up with real feelings for each other. Daphne and Simon married by the end of the series, but some fans think there was a better suitor after her hand.
Regé-Jean Page admits Simon Basset was ‘horrific’ at the start of the series
Regé-Jean Page plays the Duke of Hastings Simon Basset in Bridgerton Season 1. The Duke is a notorious rake, and he agrees to pretend to court Daphne so that the women and mothers in London will leave him alone. In turn, Daphne will seem desirable and find a real suitor of her own.
Page himself admits that his character wasn’t the greatest at the start of the series. “We did so well on that redemptive arc that people forget that Simon was kind of horrific,” the actor told Variety. “He was the best example of a Regency f***boy that any of us had come across.”
Should Daphne have married Prince Friedrich instead of the Duke in ‘Bridgerton’?
Simon’s refusal to marry is deeper than a desire to remain a rake forever. After being neglected by his father as a child, the Duke resigns never to have children so that his family’s line will end with him. Daphne, however, hopes to have a home full of little ones.
The Duke lies to Daphne and tells her that he is unable to have children. When Daphne finds out the truth, she takes matters into her own hands to try to get pregnant, resulting in an extremely problematic scene.
Before all of this, a very pleasant suitor courts Daphne as soon as she and the Duke end their ruse. Prince Freidrich is kind, handsome, and well-spoken. He wants children and could certainly give Daphne a comfortable life. Even when Daphne rejects the Prince, he bears her no ill will and does not try to use his title to change her mind.
Daphne and Simon had a passionate romance, but she may have missed a great opportunity by marrying the Duke. Several fans took to Reddit to express their disappointment.
“The prince was so sweet to Daphne from the start, and I don’t think she ever really gave him a chance because she was still so distracted by Simon,” one Reddit user wrote. Another fan added, “If Daphne had just focused on more than her hormones, I think she would have fallen in love with the prince.”
Prince Freidrich may still have a love story
In Bridgerton Season 2, Anthony Bridgerton courts Edwina Sharma but eventually marries her sister Kate. Edwina, however, impresses the Queen, and she implies that she might introduce her to her nephew, Prince Friedrich.
Though Charithra Chandran has confirmed that Edwina is not in season 3, she isn’t ruling out her character ending up with the prince. The actor told Extra TV, “The Bridgerton world is expanding, we call it the Bridgerverse, and Edwina exists somewhere in the Bridgerverse, so who knows what’s in store?”
All episodes of Bridgerton are currently streaming on Netflix.
