‘Queen Charlotte’ Series Finally Gives ‘Bridgerton’ Fans the Queer Storyline We’ve Been Waiting for

Throughout its first two seasons, Netflix's Bridgerton was full of bee scenes, “I burn for you’s” and NSFW bedroom moments, but there was always one thing that was missing: an LGBTQ+ storyline at the forefront.

Diehard fans might remember one particular moment from season one, when Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) attends a party hosted by his friend, Sir Henry Granville (Julian Ovenden), and sees him having sex with a man. Later in the season, Sir Granville pulls Benedict aside and explains that he is married to a woman but he is in love with a fellow named Lord Wetherby. But amongst all the drama of Bridgerton, this is a quick moment that many viewers might have already forgotten, and it's an auxiliary storyline to the romances at the center. Not to mention, it doesn't even blip on Lady Whistledown's radar.

Now, things are totally different. In the new prequel series, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (which is a phenomenal addition to the Bridgerton universe), there is finally a gay couple that is a focus of the show, rather than a blink-and-miss-it moment.

Queen Charlotte functions as an origin story for the moody monarch played by Golda Rosheuvel in Bridgerton. While viewers have always adored the queen for her fantastic wigs and her pursed lips (which would give Miranda Priestley a run for her money), they have never known much of her story.

Throughout seasons one and two of Bridgerton, we see that Queen Charlotte is practically running the kingdom by herself, due to her husband's mental deterioration. However, the details of their relationship were left ambiguous...until now.

Finally, viewers get to see how teenage Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio) and King George III (Corey Mylchreest) fell in love, and how their lives brought them to the timeline we follow in Bridgerton. But, while this romance goes down, there is another dalliance playing out behind closed doors.

Immediately following her marriage, Queen Charlotte is given a secretary, named Brimsley (Sam Clemmett), who follows her around and helps her at every turn. And while Brimsley at first seems like a quiet assistant, we discover in episode 2 that he is having a secret affair with the king's secretary, Reynolds (Freddie Dennis).

While these two continually discuss the turbulent relationship between their employers, they are trying to manage their own dynamic, and it offers a steamy and secretive romance that is just as engrossing as the queen's.

Then, in the future timeline, Queen Charlotte is still working alongside adult Brimsley (played by Hugh Sachs). However, we have no idea what has become of his relationship with Reynolds. Are they still together? Are they accepted by the queen, and within the kingdom? While the viewers are left to wonder what becomes of Queen Charlotte and King George, the relationship between Brimsley and Reynolds is another mystery that keeps streamers glued in.

For years, fans have been anxiously awaiting a queer storyline in Bridgerton, and the creators have finally delivered. Of course, now this begs the question: Will there ever be a gay couple that's the central focus of the universe?

With 8 Bridgerton siblings in total, it feels safe to assume that at least *one* of them might have a queer storyline in the original series. (Our bets are on Benedict—that scene from season one had to mean something...right?!) Either way, this bodes well for the future of Bridgerton. For a show that has been applauded for its diversity in a genre that usually lacks it, now there are proud LGBTQ+ characters too.

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