The Biggest Differences Between Bridgerton Season 3 and the Book

When Bridgerton first debuted in 2020, it became an international sensation. The historical fiction romance series took the world by storm and introduced the Bridgerton family to audiences everywhere, in some cases for the first time. However, many already knew the stories about the eight Bridgerton siblings since the Netflix series is based on the book series by author Julia Quinn. The Bridgerton book series consists of eight novels, each one following a different Bridgerton sibling as they navigate society during the Regency era and find love.

Netflix's Bridgerton follows a similar patron, following a different Bridgerton sibling and adapting a different book with each season. Season 1 is an adaptation of The Duke and I, the first book in the Bridgerton book series that follows Daphne Bridgerton, the eldest Bridgerton daughter. Season 2 used The Viscount Who Loved Me for inspiration, the second book in the Bridgerton series. But Bridgerton Season 3 changed the formula and instead skipped a book, using Romancing Mister Bridgerton, the fourth book in the series, as inspiration for the season. Bridgerton Season 3 also takes a few details from When He Was Wicked, the sixth book in the series, to set up Francesca Bridgerton's story. With so many changes and inspiration from different books, Bridgerton Season 3 might be the season that made the most changes to the book series.

There Is a Big Time Jump in Romancing Mister Bridgerton

Daphne and the Duke in Bridgerton

• The Duke and I was first published on January 5, 2000.

Collage of Anthony and Kate, Colin and Penelope, and Charlotte and George in Bridgerton

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The Duke and I, the first book in the Bridgerton book series, takes place in 1813. This is the year Daphne makes her debut in society and meets and marries Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings. This is also the same year Penelope Featherington made her debut in society, even though she begged her mother to wait one more year since Penelope believed she wasn't ready yet.

Romancing Mister Bridgerton takes place in 1824, eleven years after Penelope makes her debut. This plays a big role in her story since Penelope has already accepted that she would remain a spinster and even attended balls as a chaperon for her younger sister, Felicity. At twenty-eight years, women at the time were considered too old to find a proper husband. However, in Bridgerton Season 3, Penelope has only been out in society for three years, making a big change in terms of her story. After eleven years on the marriage mart, Penelope and Eloise both accepted they wouldn't get married, going so far as to joke about renting a place together. However, while spending three seasons in London without finding a husband might seem like a lot, it isn't as much as in Romancing Mister Bridgerton.

Colin Believes Eloise is Lady Whistledown

Colin Bridgerton reading a paper intently in Bridgerton.

• Eloise spends most of Romancing Mister Bridgerton secretly writing letters that later set up her own story, To Sir Phillip, With Love.

Colin Bridgerton doesn't really hate Lady Whistledown in the book series, as Whistledown never wrote anything too bad about any Bridgerton family member or about anyone else. In the Bridgerton books, Lady Whistledown isn't as controversial as in Netflix's series. Whistledown gossips about the ton and might go as far as to criticize someone's fashion, but she never really ruins anyone's reputation or relationships. However, Colin still believes the identity of Lady Whistledown could be a scandal. This is why Colin becomes extremely worried when he believes Lady Whistledown is none other than his younger sister, Eloise.

Colin's evidence that Eloise is Lady Whistledown relies solely on the fact that Eloise seems to be writing a lot. He finds her locked in her room writing and then with ink stains on her fingers daily, and, for Colin, this is a clear indication of Eloise's secret. Colin also believes Eloise is rather noisy and likes to know everything, which would work perfectly with Lady Whistledown's character. However, after Colin confronts Eloise about his suspicions, Eloise denies any connection with the gossip writer, and the two siblings have a big fight.

Colin and Penelope's First Kiss Happens Under Different Circumstances

Colin and Penelope gaze at each other in Bridgerton Season 3.

• Romancing Mister Bridgerton was first published on July 1, 2002.

The biggest moment in Bridgerton Season 3, Part 1, was Colin and Penelope's first kiss. It was a moment filled with drama, passion and desperation after the ton found out about Colin and Penelope working together to find Penelope a husband. And while the scene in the book is similar, the kiss takes place under very different circumstances. Since Colin had strong suspicions that Eloise was Lady Whistledown, he went to see Penelope to tell her of his theory and the evidence for it. And during that talk, Colin mentions no one will want to marry Eloise after the scandal.

Colin believes that if he thought Eloise was Lady Whistledown, then others could suspect her as well, even if it's not true. And that the simple rumor could ruin her. To drive his point home, Colin uses as an example that if he were to start a rumor that he had kissed Penelope, Penelope's reputation would be ruined even if that never happened. As he's talking, Colin realizes that he actually wants to kiss Penelope, something that takes him by surprise. And at the same time, Penelope asks him to kiss her, much like in the Bridgerton series, as she doesn't want to die without having been kissed. Colin and Penelope's first kiss eventually happens because Penelope asked. However, the context behind both situations is completely different.

The Queen Is Not the One Who Offers the Reward for Unmasking Lady Whistledown

Queen Charlotte surrounded by her ladies in waiting in Bridgerton Season 2.

• Queen Charlotte became a popular Bridgerton character, and her spin-off series, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, was released in May 2023.

Bridgerton edit with Queen Charlotte's face centered in front of her first meeting with King George

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Queen Charlotte wasn't a character in the Bridgerton book series, so it makes sense that it's not her the one to offer a reward in exchange for the true identity of Lady Whistledown. Instead, it is Lady Danbury who issues the challenge at Violet Bridgerton's birthday party, seemingly out of boredom. Lady Danbury offers a thousand pounds to the person who can reveal the true identity of Lady Whistledown.

Lady Danbury's challenge creates quite a stir, and much like in Bridgerton Season 3, many people from the ton try to unmask Lady Whistledown by whatever means necessary. Cressida Cowper comes forward as Lady Whistledown, just like in Bridgerton Season 3. However, it is Lady Danbury the one who demands proof about Cressida's claims, as she doesn't believe Cressida can be Lady Whistledown.

Cressida and Eloise Never Develop a Friendship

Cressida Cowper looking upset next to Eloise Bridgerton in Bridgerton

• Lady Whistledown never publishes anything that might ruin Eloise's reputation, unlike in Bridgerton Season 2.

Something that came as a surprise in Bridgerton Season 3 was Cressida Crowper and Eloise Bridgerton becoming friends. However, Cressida and Eloise never become friends in the Bridgerton book series because Eloise and Penelope never fought in the first place. Instead, Eloise and Penelope continued to take part in the different balls through multiple seasons together until they were twenty-eight years old. Meanwhile, Cressida marries Lord Twombley and becomes a young widow after his death.

Cressida marries and becomes a widow before the events of Romancing Mister Bridgerton. Lord Twombley was an old man who lied and had everyone believe he was still rich but, in fact, had lost all his money. This left Cressida in a tough spot, as she had no money or a husband. And this is the reason why Cressida makes her announcement that she is Lady Whistledown, as she wants the reward money.

The Carriage Scene Happens After a Bigger Moment In the Book

Colin and Penelope kiss in a carriage in Bridgerton

• In both Romancing Mister Bridgerton and Bridgerton Season 3, Colin proposes to Penelope after their moment in the carriage.

While the carriage scene in Bridgerton Season 3 was one of the most popular and talked about moments, the surrounding context was completely different from the book. In Bridgerton Season 3, Penelope and Colin argue after Colin ruins Penelope's chances of marrying Lord Debling. Colin then follows Penelope and joins her in the carriage, where their relationship changes forever. However, in Romancing Mister Bridgerton, Colin and Penelope share a carriage for a much different reason.

In the book, Colin notices Penelope leaving her home without her usual carriage and decides to follow her to see where she is going. He follows Penelope to a church in one of the most dangerous parts of town, where Penelope leaves an envelope. And this is the moment Colin finds out Penelope is Lady Whistledown. This comes as a shock and is a moment that turns their friendship upside-down. Colin tries to convince Penelope to quit writing as Whistledown while they share the carriage, and the argument gets heated until they eventually kiss and more. The context behind both scenes are complete opposites, the biggest change being that Colin already knows Penelope is Lady Whistledown before proposing to her in Romancing Mister Bridgerton. He also learns about it before Eloise does, since Eloise finding out Penelope's secret is one of the biggest changes of Bridgerton Season 2.

Lady Featherington Wanted Penelopes Younger Sister to Marry Colin

The Featherington sisters from Bridgerton

• Felicity Featherington is seven years younger than Penelope, making her about twenty-one years old during Romancing Mister Bridgerton.

Felicity Featherington doesn't appear in Netflix's Bridgerton series. However, she is part of the Bridgerton book series and is the youngest Featherington sister, around the same age as Hyacinth Bridgerton. In fact, Felicity and Hyacinth share a friendship much like the one Penelope and Eloise have, and the four of them spend time together at different balls during Romancing Mister Bridgerton, as both Hyacinth and Felicity are already out in society.

Lady Featherington had already given up hope that Penelope would ever find a husband. For this reason, when Lady Featherington finds out that Colin Bridgerton is back in town, she believes he would be the perfect match for Felicity. However, Penelope points out a few difficulties with her mother's plan. For one, Colin and Felicity have quite a large age gap between them. And even though Lady Featherington is so willing to set up Felicity and Colin, Penelope also reminds her mother that Felicity is already courting another man, and the two seem to be in love and about to get engaged. Lady Featherington's plans make Colin's marriage proposal even more awkward. Colin arrives at the Featherington house with Penelope by his side to ask for Penelope's hand in marriage. However, Lady Featherington is sure Colin is there to ask for Felicy's hand, which creates an awkward confusion for everyone involved.

Francesca Married Lord Kilmartin Before Romancing Mister Bridgerton

Francesca Bridgerton and John Stirling on Bridgerton.

• Francesca marries Lord Kilmartin in 1818, while Romancing Mister Bridgerton takes place in 1824.
• Francesca's book, When He Was Wicked, also takes place in 1824.

Because Romancing Mister Bridgerton has a much bigger time jump than Bridgerton Season 3, Francesca's story sees a change as well. Francesca Bridgerton's story is quite unlike the rest of her siblings. Francesca marries Lord Kilmartin during her first year out in society, and the two go on to live in Scotland, where Lord Kilmartin lives. Francesca's marriage happens around the time of Benedict's story in An Offer From a Gentleman, Bridgerton's third book. However, even though Benedict's story comes before Colin's in the book series, Netflix's Bridgerton changed the order of the books and removed the time jump.

Francesca's story is more tragic and complex than her sibling's, as she marries Lord Kilmartin but becomes a young widow only two years later. In Romancing Mister Bridgerton, Francesca is already a widow and is traveling back and forth between her primary home somewhere in Scotland and her family's home in London. Francesca isn't a big presence in most of her sibling's books since she lives far away. She comes back to attend the 1824 season in London, four years after Lord Kilmartin's death.

Colin's Struggles With Finding His Purpose Takes a Bigger Focus In Romancing Mister Bridgerton

Colin looks into the distance in Bridgerton Season 3.

• Anthony marries in 1814, and Benedict marries soon after in 1817, leaving Colin as the odd one out for seven years until his marriage in 1824.

A collage of Colin Bridgerton in Season 3 of Bridgerton

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While some of the inner struggles Colin faces in Romancing Mister Bridgerton were hinted at in Bridgerton Season 3, Colin's search for his purpose is much more obvious in the book. Colin Bridgerton is the third brother, closer in age to Daphne Bridgerton than to the rest of his siblings. He was never posed to take on his father's title, as that was Anthony's destiny as the firstborn. And while Benedict also struggles to find out what he wants to do in life, he soon finds his love for painting.

However, Colin doesn't know exactly what he wants to do with his life. This is one of the reasons why he travels so much, yet he still feels unfulfilled. Just like in Bridgerton Season 3, Colin eventually becomes interested in writing more than just his journals and even becomes a published writer. But Romancing Mister Bridgerton puts a bigger focus on Colin's thoughts about his future. He had a hard time accepting Penelope's secret as Lady Whistledown because he was jealous of Penelope for finding her calling and her life's work, something he still struggled with.

Lady Whistledown's Column Refuting Cressida's Claims Comes During Penelope and Colin's Engagement Ball

Penelope Featherington writing her Whistledown column in Bridgerton in front of a candelabra .

• In Romancing Mister Bridgerton, Cressida never publishes a column like Lady Whistledown.

Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Bridgerton holding hands at Aubrey Hall in Bridgerton Season 2, Episode 8

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Much like in Bridgerton Season 3, Penelope refuses to let Cressida take the credit for Lady Whistledown's writings. In Romancing Mister Bridgerton, Lady Whistledown announced her retirement before Cressida came forward, claiming to be the gossip writer. So Penelope decides to take Whistledown out of retirement to deny Cressida's claims. But unlike Bridgerton Season 3, it is Colin, instead of Eloise, the one who is the most upset about Penelope's actions.

In Bridgerton Season 3, Eloise believes Penelope should let Cressida take the credit for Lady Whistledown. This way, Penelope wouldn't have to worry about her secret coming out anymore. However, in Romancing Mister Bridgerton, it is Colin the one who believes Penelope should let people believe Cressida is Lady Whistledown. Colin is worried that if people find out that Penelope is Lady Whistledown, she will be cast out of society and that some people might even want to cause her harm. He worries about her and, therefore, tries to convince Penelope to stop publishing as Whistledown. He is also jealous, though he has a hard time accepting that. But Penelope can't let Cressida take the credit, and she publishes another issue of Lady Whistledown denying Cressida's claims. These issues come right during Colin and Penelope's engagement ball, without Colin's prior knowledge, causing a big argument between them.

Colin Never Tries to Pay Off Cressida or Convince Her Not to Talk

Cressida Cowper dancing with Colin Bridgerton in Bridgerton

• Unlike Bridgerton Season 3, in the book series, Cressida doesn't have any sort of redemption arc, and she continues to be one of the most uptight and disliked characters.

After Cressida claims to be Lady Whistledown and Penelope uses her column to refute her, Cressida makes one last attempt at securing the money she so desperately needs. Cressida realizes that Penelope is Lady Whistledown and tries to get money from Penelope, but Colin comes up with a better plan. Instead of paying off Cressida or trying to deny the truth any longer, Colin and Penelope would tell the truth.

Colin makes a plan to reveal Lady Whistledown's identity at Daphne and Simon's ball and even enlists the help of Simon and Anthony, as well as the rest of the Bridgerton family. While in Bridgerton Season 3 it is Penelope who reveals the truth, in Romancing Mister Bridgerton, Colin is the one who talks to everyone at the ball. He is no longer worried or jealous of Penelope's work; instead, he gives a moving speech, showing just how much he loves and supports Penelope and how amazed he is by her wit and talent. His speech is enough to make the ton accept Penelope and her secret identity as Whistledown, and Penelope never asks for forgiveness or leniency, as no one is truly upset.

Daphne and Simon Play a Bigger Role in Romancing Mister Bridgerton

Daphne in the rain smiling while looking up while Simon looks at her in Bridgerton

• Colin also goes to talk to Daphne at Hastings House when he has a hard time figuring out his feelings for Penelope.

Split Images of Anthony, Kate, Daphne, and SImon Bridgerton

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Fans of Bridgerton were heartbroken when they found out that Regé-Jean Page, who plays Simon Basset in Bridgerton Season 1, wouldn't be returning for Season 2. And viewers were even sadder when it was announced Phoebe Dynevor wouldn't return as Daphne Bridgerton in Season 3. This also meant a few key moments from Romancing Mister Bridgerton happened differently in Bridgerton Season 3.

The biggest change was that in Romancing Mister Bridgerton, people find out Penelope is Lady Whistledown at a ball hosted by Daphne and Simon. It is one of the biggest of the season, with over five hundred guests, and this is where the revelation takes place. However, in Bridgerton Season 3, Penelope's revelation to the ton happens at a ball hosted by both of her sisters, Prudence and Phillipa. While it is sad that fans couldn't get to see Daphne returning to show her support to her brother Colin, the change in Bridgerton Season 3 allowed Penelope to bond with her sisters. The moment not only became a turning point for Penelope but also, in a way, became a redeeming moment for the entire Featherington family.

Anthony stands between Kate (left) and Edwina (right) on the Bridgerton Season 2 Poster

Bridgerton

In Regency-era London, the Bridgerton family navigates the complex world of high society, filled with romance, scandal, and intrigue. The series follows the eldest Bridgerton daughter, Daphne, as she makes her debut into the competitive marriage market, catching the eye of the dashing Duke of Hastings.

Release Date December 25, 2020Creator(s) Chris Van DusenCast Luke Newton, Joanna Bobin, Florence Hunt, Claudia Jessie, Ruby Barker, Martins Imhangbe, Isabella Cortese, Luke Thompson, Charithra Chandran, Simone Ashley, Adjoa Andoh, Ben Miller, Golda Rosheuvel, Ruth Gemmell, Nicola Coughlan, Jonathan Bailey, Rege-Jean Page, Phoebe Dynevor, Will Tilston, Ruby Stokes, Julie Andrews, Shelley Conn, Polly WalkerGenres Drama, RomanceSeasons 3Creator Chris Van DusenWriters Joy C. Mitchell, Abby McDonald, Jess Brownell, Julia Quinn, Chris Van DusenStreaming Service(s) NetflixDirectors Tom Verica, Tricia Brock