Queen Charlotte’s exploration of racial divides completely changes Simon, the Duke of Hastings’ backstory in Bridgerton. By introducing the complex idea of lineage and succession, Queen Charlotte even manages to change the perception of Simon’s father, the legitimate villain of Bridgerton season 1.
In a bold move, Queen Charlotte actively addresses how the world of Bridgerton came to be more liberated and racially diverse than the real Regency Era in England. Queen Charlotte’s ethnicity is used as the catalyst for The Great Experiment – a means to tear down racial divides, and grant peerages to black and Asian residents of the ton. That includes Simon’s father, the original Duke of Hastings.
How Queen Charlotte Changes Simon’s Origin Story
In Bridgerton, Simon is victimized by his overbearing father because of his perceived weakness, as displayed by his stammer. His father believes him to be a poor heir, who would struggle to continue the Bassett bloodline, so he is cast off to be raised by Lady Danbury. Ultimately, Simon seeks his revenge by consciously attempting to become the last of his line, but is “convinced” otherwise in Bridgerton’s most problematic scene. But Queen Charlotte adds key context that changes how the old Duke acted.
Succession was a morbid anxiety for the newly peered residents of the ton, who believed themselves to be in a perilous position because of the Great Experiment. Indeed, a figure as powerful as Lady Danbury’s succession was not assured even as she dined with royalty. The obsession with succession and strength of bloodline was a hangover from racially stoked anxieties from such a major culture shift and while the Duke treated his son unforgivably, his motivation is a little more straightforward to understand.
Queen Charlotte Repeats Bridgerton’s Villain Crime
Somewhat ironically, Queen Charlotte sees the queen herself repeat the same dehumanizing villainy as Simon’s father in Bridgerton Season 1. While she doesn’t abuse her children as Simon was, Charlotte casts them off as failures because of their inability to continue her bloodline. Queen Charlotte’s children being hidden from view in Bridgerton and not paraded out at social events seems to follow the same problematic logic.
Queen Charlotte is eventually confronted with the idea that she wasn’t a good mother, but her manservant Brimsley refutes the suggestion to say that it was her duty. She was invested in the health and continuity of the Crown, and not getting a chance to mother “properly” was the right sacrifice. However, that does rather get the Duke of Hastings off the hook for his evils. Perhaps Queen Charlotte is just saying that when the queen does it, it’s not a crime.